[Mini Event] I and love and you

there is always hope

It had been a long time since Ronin had attended a wedding, and he hadn’t expected that the next would be his own. Even so, his attention was all for Remi as Aoife waddled to him, swept up in his arms, adored and safe and everything that Ronin could have wanted for her. He joined the alchemist, at first, in greeting those who arrived to give their congratulations, shaking Bastien ‘s hand and pressing a kiss to the back of Rexanna ‘s, clapping Roana on the shoulder and saying hello to her three boys.

Ashetta he caught in a bear hug, kissing her dark hair and giving her a squeeze. ”We can both be your in-laws, and it can be terribly awkward and confusing for all involved. Not that I particularly care, of course.” Winking at her, he released her and cast a sidelong glance to Remi, heat in his blue eyes as he considered his soon-to-be husband.

”It would probably be a good idea to actually get married first, else we will have invited all of these people here just to watch us sneak off into the woods,” he pointed out, though the smirk on his face said he was sorely tempted, indeed.

A reason for merriment, a chance to celebrate happiness and honor friends, an excuse for joy and laughter, a binding of two lives that already wound around each other in a braid of love and loyalty. The wedding of Ronin and Remi was all these things and more, and Jigano had no intention of missing it - or to show up in a shabby disguise, apart from friends and family. No, the bard had taken the time and work to scrub the dyes from skin and hair so that he practically glowed. He wore clothes made for him by @Melinoe, tailored to fit him snugly and show off the increased breadth of his shoulders and narrow waist. The cut was elegantly simple, the long, short-sleeved, fitted dark blue overtunic with its high neck that plunged in the front was embroidered delicately in silver at neck and hems while the undertunic was pale blue and made of a soft, silky fabric gathered at the wrists. Close-fitting black leather breeches and boots completed the ensemble. His white hair had been brushed to a shine and Rory had been the one to braid it up and adorn it as he pleased. It only made sense, since it was the leatherworker's arm that Jigano arrived on, and he was thoroughly content to reflect his lover's light: the pale winter moon to Rory's summer sunshine.

Isuma perched on his shoulder or Rory's depending on where she thought she could get a better view from at any given moment, her feathers and fur back to their own natural beauty, pale as snow and starlight except the brilliant blues of her primary feathers and the markings on her owlish face. She wore a harness of white leather and silver, on which shone bright stones from the Whispershore, and she was inordinately pleased with her own adornments, eager to show them off to her fellow companions.

When a momentary break in the gathering well-wishers appeared, Jigano took the chance to drift over to Ronin and Remi , offering a wide smile and a firm handshake to them both before giving the alchemist in particular a wink.

"I promised Remi a wedding gift," he teased, "and I hope it doesn't disappoint!" He turned to Aoife, sweeping her a courtly bow, and when he rose something glittered and spun in his hand. "A rose for the princess," he declared, holding it out to her - or whichever of her parents would accept it in her stead. No magic but sleight of hand had made it appear, though it hadn't been easy to sneak into the forge and hammer thin the sheets of metal he used to shape the paper-thick vanes of the pinwheel, or to soften the edges so they couldn't cut. Gold and silver and copper it spun and sparkled in the cool Leafchange evening breeze, catching lantern light on the quartz and mica dust he had brushed over each vane before sealing it against weather and tarnish to lock the glitter in place. It wouldn't last forever, but it would last the child a good long time, he hoped. Long enough for her to outgrow the toy, at least!

And it would give her a shiny 'flower' to coo and wave about during the wedding, to hopefully keep her happy and fairly quiet while the two eager fathers went about their vows.

Vervain

Vai was late. Having a baby made you late, but she walked into the fields as though she had all the time in the world. Felix was cuddled up against her shoulder, still too young to be away from his mother, and she wore a flowing gown smattered with constellations. At the sight of Remi, Ronin and Ashetta she positively beamed, waiting until others had said their congratulations before meandering their way.

Remi and Ronin received a motherly kiss to the cheek, and she spent plenty of time fussing over her daughter and hugging her close, grinning to the happy couple. "You two certainly look the part." She winked. "Ashe and I can babysit Aoife for you, after the ceremony." Best wedding gift, no?

lalalal quote

Coding base by Sky!

REMI

"Since when are you so full of good ideas, mmm? They say marriage changes a man, but this is ridiculous." Remi quipped back, trying on a pout for just a second. It wasn't though Ronin was wrong, and though the alchemist could hardly wait to complete the strange set of rituals needed to call him his in this strange place, he couldn't keep his mind off of another set of rituals  that would make Ronin call out all sorts of things instead.

With a boyishly delighted grin, Remi nodded his approval at Ashetta 's choice of attire. Her finger against his arm however had him blushing with embarrassment as he simply shifted Aoife from one side to the other. He had changed physically, he just wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. "I agree. No use trying to make this family fit any sort of conventional mould now." He added, with a wink.

The sudden onslaught of identical pairs of blue eyes had Remi snorting softly. "Hello boys." Grinning as Roana said her hello's to Ronin, the alchemist whispered conspiratorily to the boys: "It is your job to keep your mom's wine glass full, and make sure she dances with someone handsome tonight. Can you all manage that?"

With a glance towards Jigano, the alchemist smiled warmly, returning the handshake firmly. "I am glad to see that it is you here, and not your soot-covered counterpart." Remi laughed, meaning it both as a compliment and as a statement of relief that with Edy in charge, the hunt for 'criminals' seemed to have died down. Not caring one bit for this exchange, Aoife riggled in Remi's arms until Jigano's attention turned towards her. Starry-gaze wide as he bowed—a precursor to something exciting, she was sure—the toddler cooed her delight as she immediately reached out for the pinwheel. Her fingers closed around the sails, and as she did so, Remi tensed, sure she would either be cut, or destroy the thing. Her fingers came away unhurt though, and the small toy kept its shape (and sparkles), perfectly. "This is incredible." Remi laughed, genuinely impressed by the ingenuity and thoughtfulness behind the gift. For Aoife's part, she waved in haphazardly in the air not really understanding the blowing-part, but delighting in the way it caught the light just the same. "Thank you Jigano. Truly."

Already in love with her younger cousin, Aoife made a few wooo oooo! sounds in his direction as Vervain came over. Flashing the witch an adoring smile, Remi waited until she had finished fussing over Ashe, Remi nudging her softly and leaning his head against hers. Her 'wedding gift' had Remi grinned and glancing playfully at Ronin. "Or...now?" He tried again, smirking instantly.

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WESSEX

No dresses. Just leather. Kinky, some might say - comfortable when you don’t need to sweat and you don’t chafe, and totally on brand, says Wessex.

Dressed in something a tad more appropriate for an event than her every day wear, she is, nevertheless, a bit uncomfortable in the one-shouldered, red-and-gold get up. Like she’s been stuffed into something that isn’t her, even though she’s still likely to be the only one in leather. Two crimson dyed leather pieces wrap her upper arms and she’s added a couple of shiny bits to her thigh-high boots, but other than that, she is unadorned.

And she’s a little late. Good job. Upon arriving in the Field, she sees many milling about - Rex, Deimos, Melita, and if they happen to spot her, she gives a little wave. First things first; to greet the happy couple and offer her best wishes. When she finds Remi and Ronin, she offers them each a smile and a warm handshake - the way an awkward, distant family member might greet a third cousin who they kind of knew as kids, but have since grown apart.

“I hope the two of you will be very happy together.” And she does mean it. Everyone deserves to be happy, at least for a little bit.

No, I’ll be the stone
I’ll be the hunter, a tower that casts the shade
I lie awake and watch it all

she didn't want to love
she wanted to b e l o v e d
and that was entirely different

She cannot say which is stranger: that she is arriving to such an event on the arm of the most dazzling attractive man she has ever known, or that it is happening at all. Stranger yet is the role she is to play in the proceedings, a role her grandmother often stepped into.

A role she will gladly take, for them.

The stoic behemoth at her side might insist she is responsible for their attire, but that is far from fact. In truth, Amalia  been too busy baking and preparing the words she was to say to put more than a passing thought into what she would wear. When at last the Reaper asked, she panicked, making an offhand suggestion about stars between batches of cupcakes, and let Deimos to his work.

And what magnificent work it was. Amalia glances down at her dress, still bewildered by the beauty of it, feeling unworthy of such finery. a suit of silver, dusted with gold is elegant and star-bright and refined. She wears her long hair in a loose half-braid, the flower comb keeping it from totally escaping its confines. It is how she imagines being a princess might feel, decked in finery and mixing among the radiant, the beautiful.

Smiles and greetings are offered to all, but Amalia is a busy creature, slipping away to make sure the food is set up and the ceremony preparations complete. Once this task is finished she returns to Deimos, still enchanted by the sight of him, and pulls him toward the couple where they wait, surrounded by well-wishers.

A kiss is lad on Remi's cheek, a squeeze on Ronin's hand. "Ready when you are," she says with a shy smile. "Do you have the rings? I have everything else set up by the shrine."

Amalia

we are all b r o k e n
that's how the l i g h t gets in

REMI

Smiling warmly at Wessex, the alchemist nodded appreciatively. "Thank you." He said with a boyish grin. The sight of Amalia made Remi's heart pulse and forced his gaze away from the ascended. It wasn't just seeing his friend here that made him suddenly shiver with anticipation, but it was what she represented. She was leading this, after all.

"Ahh, yes." Remi said, flashing a wry stare in Ronin's direction as if to say see? another thing I took care of, before pulling two ornate boxes from his pocket. Both had similar design, with a darker landscape of shadows and rising twilight, ignited, glowing stars scattered in between – with the northern lights like brushstrokes across the brim. Ronin’s had streaks of blue, some like the ocean, some like speckles of rain. Remi’s had more garbs of gold and green, curls and coils like lion’s mane. Down the sides were the hallowed valleys of the horizon, with more and more fronds and plumes of the lights feathering their way along the threshold. Deimos had indeed done a remarkable job with them; the containers nearly as precious as what they held inside.

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ASHE    Ashe smirked wryly and blinked back the wetness in her eyes. ”This family is a special breed of unconventional,” she agreed just as her mother approached. She was suitably fussed over, and she didn’t argue a moment of it. She stayed close to Vai’s side, grinning as she greeted the husbands-to-be.    ”I’m good for babysitting,” she eagerly answered. She looking between the men and then to Aoife waving her new toy about. ”Aunty Ashe will spoil you rotten, hm?” She scrunched her nose at the star-eyed girl with a smile. While she hadn’t had much time to get together a gift, that she was all to happy for. ”I’ll have a painting for you,” she went on, looking back up at them. ”As soon as I can get new paint. One of the three of you.”    Amalia approached, and Ashe couldn’t help scanning her thoroughly as she stepped back to let her through. She was stunning, and looked no worse for wear after her plunge into the storms. Good. She suggested they begin and asked after who would represent them, and Ashe smiled at them both as Remi produced two boxes. "Well, get on with it then," she quipped. but no one really sleeps alone when you are loved.

there is always hope

They were all here; people Ronin knew as dear friends, family, acquaintances, colleagues, fellow rebels and hunters and warriors. And they were all here to witness this - something that once upon a time, the guildmaster had never even considered would be possible. Would that he could have spent time with all of them separately (and there was time for that later), but as Amalia approached his attention was swallowed up by the very meaning in her being there.

Smiling to Ashetta and Vervain, offering a firm handshake and a roguish grin to Wessex and nodding his thanks at Jigano, Ronin turned to his husband-to-be and arched an eyebrow as he produced the ring boxes. A defiant sort of blush raced across his cheeks as he glanced the other way: a silent objection of I showed up dressed, didn't I?

The ring boxes were beautiful, though, and Ronin took a moment to admire their craftsmanship, before sneakily taking Remi's hand and tugging him closer. "Now," he said softly, but it wasn't about running off into the woodland. No, now was to walk up the hill to where the shrine to Safrin sang with soft windchimes, and flickered with fire.

she didn't want to love
she wanted to b e l o v e d
and that was entirely different

She smiles at Ashe as she takes claim of Aoife, Jyoti cooing a happy greeting to the starry-eyed infant. "Keep her close by, hmm? She's the star of this thing." Taking the gorgeous ring boxes into her hands, she admires them a moment before handing them back, warmth in her onyx eyes. "I'll meet you at the shrine when you're ready."

When the group has settled, when the time is right, Amalia clears her throat. Her heartbeat is a thunderstorm in her chest as she waits beneath the arch, the prepared material for the ceremony carefully placed around them. A sapling of belladonna and a bag of bluestar seeds sits near the shrine, the holes already dug; two lanterns, painted by the grooms, sit atop a small table. On the table, too, are supplies for them to strike a fire in the brazier which Deimos created and which now acts as centerpiece, a little before them, just outside the canopy.

Everything is ready, but Amalia is still terrified, doing her best not to shiver as the fateful time arrives. It is a new sort of anxiety which taunts her today, warm and ecstatic and bewildered and amazed, adoration for the couple before her mixed with terror at her role. Vi, please don't let me fuck this up. She hopes her grandmother is somewhere watching, that she will guide the girl in her actions.

She hopes to make her proud.

Inhaling deeply, Amalia begins.

"Friends and family, thank you for coming to join us on this most wonderful of nights. We thank Rae for the beauty of this day, a perfect evening for us to bear witness as Remi and Ronin pledge themselves to one another before their loved ones, and before the gods. Praise Rae!" Amalia pauses a moment to allow the group and the grooms to repeat the praise, smiling at the rousing cheer which passes through the assembled.

"We thank Vi for giving Remi and Ronin life. Lives which have been filled with experiences and growth, with hardships and triumphs, with beauty and loss. We are grateful to Vi for every facet of this life, for without the lows we would not have the highs, without the trials we would not have the triumphs, and without the experiences they have lived, Remi and Ronin would not have found each other. Praise Vi!

"We thank Mort for the love he bears Remi and Ronin, and the promise that when the time comes they will be welcomed, together, into his embrace. In particular, we thank Mort for granting Ronin a second chance at life, for allowing his soul to return to us, that we might hold him in our love, and that he and Remi might today be bound. Praise Mort!

"Finally, we thank Caido, who gave us the world in which we live, and without whom the universe would not have come to be. Praise Caido!"

"Now, Remi and Ronin would like to express their gratitude to the gods and their heralds, before them and in witness of you all, beginning with Frey, the guardian of nature and growth. Both have brought seedlings to plant in Their honor. These seedlings represent Remi and Ronin's love for one another, and their promise to continue to nurture and care for that love, that it will grow and bloom and bless us all with the bounty of flower and fruit."

As she speaks, she gestures to them to collect their seedlings (or seeds) as well as a jar of water and step to where the holes are dug, one beside the other. She has taught them the words to say as they plant, expecting them to add a personal twist. It is the first of the four ceremonies, though, so she hopes they will maintain their composure at least until the last.

---

Welcome to our very first Hollowed Grounds wedding ceremony! This ceremony is done in the style of the Old Gods ;D Please don't reply until the final ceremony is concluded (I'll let y'all know)

Amalia

we are all b r o k e n
that's how the l i g h t gets in

REMI

Smiling indulgently at his soon-to-be, Remi squeezed Ronin's hand and nodded, unable to say anything as a sudden lump had appeared in his throat. The feeling of euphoric anticipation made it hard to breathe, but somehow the alchemist managed. For now, anyways.

Walking towards the shrine made Remi's chest tighten slightly, if only because it brought back memories of what they'd learned the last time they were there. Lacing his fingers through Ronin's, the alchemist tugged in a breath. The shortness of life was precisely why they were doing this after all, but the reminder was a bit unexpected. Amalia's words while sweet, drifted over Remi like a breeze, the entirety of his focus for Ronin alone. And so at the baker's instructions, it took Remi a moment before he dropped Ronin's hand with a boyish grin and knelt down.

"I suppose while we are on the subject...once having Frey remove my memories of others seemed like an unimaginably unfair punishment. Now?" Remi hummed a mischevious note under his breath as he dropped some of his seeds into the hole and, using his hands instead of magic, moved the earth to cover it. "I do not mind at all that I only remember you." He added a touch shyly, his smile growing crooked as he picked up his jar of water. Cheersing Ronin with it (that seemed natural to do, no?), he poured it over his pile.

As Ronin did the same, Remi reached down into the soil with his magic, and the two plants bloomed instantly. One was a dusky-blue bouqet of flowers that looked like stars, obviously chosen for their association with all that Ronin had gone through to return back to earth. And the other? Well. That was a plant used to make woman seem more beautiful, hence its name. "I cannot tell if this is a compliment, or a suggestion." Remi whispered under his breath, flashing his partner a boyish grin.

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there is always hope

Ronin had to cage his tongue behind his teeth the entire walk up, knowing better than to interrupt such a lovely moment with this hill is longer than I remember or I'm getting a stitch. But the urge was there, and Remi would probably know that too. As their fingers laced together he gave the other man's hand a squeeze, smiling reassurringly across at him. Regardless of what had happened the last time they were here, it was time to replace that memory with a new one. With this one.

Flashing Amalia a bright smile as she spoke, eloquent and reverent and perfect, Ronin joined his lover and knelt before the saplings' new home. He arched an eyebrow and watched as the two plants bloomed under Remi's touch, the hunter using his hands to pat the soil down and chuckling as they clinked their jugs together (there was a joke there, and he was dying to make it).

"There is so much I have lost, since coming here," he said softly instead, holding the other man's shattered gaze. "But all of it seems so unimportant, compared to finding you. To finding you like this, I mean." Because they had always been - and still were - the best of friends.

As for the belladonna...

"It's a reminder for me not to mistake them for blueberries again. I ate some once. Didn't go well," he murmured back to Remi, fighting not to laugh.

she didn't want to love
she wanted to b e l o v e d
and that was entirely different

Amalia watches the pair with dazzlingly entranced black eyes, her anxiety eased a little bit by their adoration for one another. When Remi wills the plants into bloom her breath catches in her throat; she raises an eyebrow as the men return, her smile fond and her cheeks flushed as she continues through the ceremony.

"Next, Remi and Ronin would like to thank Safrin, the herald of Vi and Goddess of Stars.  In life Safrin watches over us all, her beauty leaving the longest nights illuminated, her kindness protecting us through our darkest times. So, too, do Remi and Ronin promise to be each other’s light in the darkness, to be patient and true as a guiding star, no matter how long the night may be. They say these vows in the light of the fire, that the smoke and embers might carry their words to Safrin, and that she might know the strength of their love."

Amalia hands the matches to Ronin, trusting him more with fire and flame. The brazier's fire will be small, subdued, safe, because as much as she loves a roaring blaze, she is not sure she trusts these two not to ignite themselves. She has already taught them about this part: they are to make vows about constancy through life, either while circling the fire or, if they feel so bold (and Amalia has no doubt they shall), immediately before leaping over it.

Amalia

we are all b r o k e n
that's how the l i g h t gets in

REMI

Remi couldn't help but snort at Ronin's justification. "Ahh well. What better time for a quick reminder than our wedding ceremony?" The alchemist quipped with a grin. "Though...If you needed help deciding which berries to put in your mouth, you might have just asked." He added in a low voice.

Watching as Amalia hands the matches to Ronin, Remi uses a subtle amount of transmutation magic to make it so that just as the matches begin to light...they immediately go out again. It's probably a terrible image given the vows they are undertaking, but even at the most dire and important of moments, laughter comes far too easily when the pair are together.

"You were the first thing that I saw after..." Remi trailed off with a shrug. Ronin knew, they all knew, it didn't need to be said. "And you only grow brighter." He said, releasing his magic so that the brazier could be properly lit. "Now. You braved death on your own, so I think it is only fair we do this together." So saying and without a moment 's notice, Remi placed his hands on Ronin's shoulders and pressed up, thrusting himself into the air...

...only to tumble into Ronin's arms as a raccoon. Turning his furry-back towards the ex-captain, he spread his arms Rose-on-the-Titanic style, ready for his lover to romantically jump him over the fire (or trip and horribly burn them both).

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