The Engagement Ceremony of Viatorus and Ingirun

[votivescholars]

Welcome to the world of the Durants...

Guests from the Nexus are met by an Isidor who is still dressed for business when she PINpoints them directly to the venue. She is on a mission and pleasantries are swiftly exchanged so that she can give instructions and explain how the day is going to go. The first thing to hit them is that it's hot, and bright. They are now in France, Isidor tells them, her narrative changes appropriately as she leads them from the small stone building, through immaculate gardens and towards a sprawling palace which she insists is small for what it is. This is the home of Gnonyma Durant, her grandmother. A 17th Century French palace once owned by royalty but was gifted to her family as thanks for 'a service' which Isidor says was so private that even the mage's journal doesn't detail what it was. 

The air is dry and still, which makes the cool shade of indoors a pleasant relief. Like the ornate facade, the interior of the building is lined with intricate mouldings; decorated with impressive portraits; painted in bright, colourful shades; and filled with flowers and draping fabric. There is plenty of space, a fact emphasised by tiled floors that amplify each step and word. It looks as though almost every room is being used, from the way all the doors are held open for the steady flow of traffic. They are, however, let through the building and out another door. It's the quickest way to where seats sit lined up to face a gazebo decorated with ribbons and flowers that stands in front of a pond that might as well be a lake. Some people might notice the air above them ripple slightly, which certainly has nothing to do with the perfectly ornate poles at each corner of the seating area. 

There are already plenty of people milling about. Servants stride from one place to another, expertly staying out of the way of the guests. There are some men and women who are dressed well for the occasion, but like the servants they stay out of the way and scan the area repeatedly, making no attempts to engage with the guests - security, judging by their earpieces. Members of the Durant family are easy to spot. They move in groups or pairs, often getting headed off by people looking to talk to them. A large majority of them also sport sashes of either red or purple with gold trim and ornate pins that vary from person to person. This, Isidor explains, is how you spot a patron and an accomplished scholar, based on the red or purple respectively. Viatorus is not yet an accomplished scholar, which is why they have no sashes. Members of Runa's family are equally easy to spot for those that know her. They would be the large group of tall, golden haired men and women with the distinctive Swedish accents happily talking to anyone and everyone.

After guiding them to their seats she tells them that the ceremony will be another twenty minutes and takes her leave to go and sort out the other numerous things on her endless list. Nobody bothers them while they wait. Everyone is too busy spotting old friends or making their way to their seats. It's a good time to enjoy the scenery. There is a small collection of musicians with harps, violins and flutes to one side. Even the breeze is smelling sweet with the perfume of the bouquets.

Within fifteen minutes Viatorus appears in a tailored suit of light grey and deep purple. He is closely followed by an older, stocky looking man in a black suit and purple tie, and sporting a red and black sash that is even more ornate than any others. Whatever the man is saying to him Viatorus barely gets more of a wave of recognition in to his friends before he's being guided to the gazebo and kept there. Shortly after he's joined by a young man and two women with tanned skin and black hair dressed in simple, but high quality clothes of purple, draping fabric. They look as serious as the man beside Viatorus. That is about the time Isidor reappears in more appropriate attire. She in turn heralds the appearance of a woman who shares her features, dressed in elegant gold and black, who is accompanied by a man whose black suit and purple tie are considerably more simple than his purple sash. Its intricacy matches that of the red one worn by the man standing next to Viatorus. The mood seems to shift at the appearance of these last two guests, becoming quieter, expectant. The Durants gather together, and Viatorus' fidgeting increases tenfold as they exchange words. The men with the sashes and the woman in gold take their seats, many of the guests follow suit.

The ceremony begins...

The young man in purple walks with his staff to stand at the head of the aisle and asks that everyone takes their seats. Exactly twenty minutes after the Nexus guests were shown their seats, the ceremony begins. The young man introduces himself as the high priest of Despoina and welcomes them to the union of the two families Durant and Nyström. As it is a ceremony to mark the union of two families with two sets of tradition and two sets of gods to honour, this will be a merging of these two cultures. It will be a handfasting ceremony of the Old Ways, he explains. This means that the couple will be as man and wife for a year and a day, and after that time they must choose if they wish to marry or separate. The guests now better informed, the priest stands back under the gazebo where a nervous Viatorus and patient Isidor stand waiting. On cue, the musicians start playing unfamiliar, but pleasant music to introduce the arrival of Ingirun dressed in white and accompanied by a rounded, red cheeked man, and followed by a woman who must certainly be one of her sisters. Once she was beside Viatorus, Ingirun's father sat down and the ceremony began. 

The priest talked of uniting the two families, naming the virtues of both, as he got the bride-and-groom-to-be to hold hands which he bound in ribbons. He then took them through their vows before invoking the gods and goddesses to bless the union. The mixture of Greek and Norse deities made for a complicated blessing that might have been compared to seeking the approval of two powerful families. With wishes given, the priest unwrapped their hands and had the betrothed drink from the same cup. All in all it was a short ceremony as ceremonies go. A few more blessings were given and then the couple were prompted to kiss to seal the pact, which a bright red Viatorus did, very timidly. Luckily that only made Runa beam more brightly than she already was.

Dinner was in a large hall with close family at the head of the room and everyone else seated at round tables. Every position was carefully chosen, of course. The inevitable speeches came from the father of the bride (who rambled joyously about how happy he was to see his daughter with such a fine young man) and the mother of the groom (who gently, warmly, welcomed Runa into the family and spoke of how proud she and his father were). Drinks were plentiful, as were the courses. There were six in total with a selection of each: Appetisers, soup, fish, the main course, dessert, and a palate cleanser. No one will be going hungry tonight, that's a certainty.

After dinner it's Isidor who stands to say a few last words. She thanks everyone for coming and instructs them to enjoy the evening and all the festivities which "will go on at least until dawn". With that, guests are bid to go and enjoy the entertainment filling the palace.

And now for the party...

There isn't a single place that isn't being used for the party. The gardens have pleasant music playing in them, chairs and tables laid out  with cushions and blankets for people to lounge in. One of the largest halls is set out for dancers and their spectators to enjoy live musicians that will play ballroom music for the first part of the evening and be replaced by a band that plays modern music for the second. There is a small room of bookshelves and leather armchairs where men congregate to sip whiskey. Rooms with couches and chairs have people moving in and out of them joining and starting conversations. The priest tends to three statues of goddesses that stand at the end of one room. Here he collects gifts and offerings for the couple's happy future. A man with a perfect smile enthralls a crowd with stories that are only exciting because of the way he tells them. A demure woman facilitates a conversation between straight backed men with chiseled features and shorter tanned men who look equally as disciplined. Servants are found throughout, bringing drinks and snacks to anyone who asks or so much as looks as if they're considering either.

((Feel free to backtag, threadhop, start threads, look for more NPCs, whatever you like! If you're unsure of something, looking for more details, or want to plot then you know the drill - Send a message my way and we'll chat!

Note about gifts: It will say on your character's invitation that gifts are optional and it is suggested that a gift to the gods/goddesses would be more than suitable instead.))

✣ · ✣ · ✣ · ✣

The Nyströms  |   Hephaestia  |  The Archon, Liselotte & Stathis  | The Priest  | Oraskis - The Seer  
Lieselotte or Stathis  |  Poenia & Sagyne  |  Harrowheart & Anna  |  Adia  | Felix & Jim | Evening Event | Isidor | Klaus

 

Comments

[chiron_survivor]

Adia can do little more than thank Isidor for showing her to her seat, her wide eyes taking in everything around her. It’s beautiful. The palace, the gardens, the decorated gazebo. The fact that it is in France, a country similar to her home, is the icing on the cake.

Dressed in the green party dress she wore at the Halloween party, she tries not to feel inadequate. Everything and everyone around her is so fancy, like something out of a movie. She’s been to weddings and other formal events before, but nothing like this. She reminds herself that her hair is clean, as are her simple heels. She’s fine.

The ceremony begins and Adia forgets to be self-conscious, focusing instead on the procession of people who come to the gazebo. She gives Viatorus a bright, encouraging smile — you can do it, friend! Runa is easy enough to identify in her white dress, and wow, she is so pretty. Although she’s paying attention to the ceremony itself, in particular the mention of Greek gods, her gaze stays on the young couple. When they kiss, she smiles to herself. They look so sweet together; she really hopes that everything works out for them.

Dinner is a quiet affair for her. Food scarcity is a constant threat in the Fleet, even with the replenishing of their algae vats, so she eats everything, but slowly, not wanting to make herself sick. It’s all delicious, of course. She even savors the palate cleanser.

It’s after dinner that Adia’s nervousness returns. So. Many. People. And the gift she brought for the goddesses — a bouquet of yellow tulips — seems inadequate compared to what other people have left. Clutching her small purse in her hands, she finds a comfortable seat in the garden and hopes that she’ll eventually spot someone she knows.

[smartass_captain]

It's well into the reception before Jim takes a moment to step outside to the gardens. The sheer number of people has made the house warm, and while not oppressively so, a bit of fresh air will do the body some good.

There's also the fact that Jim simply doesn't come from a world where magic is possible and so many of the more esteemed guests and their preferred conversation has gone right over his head all evening. It gets a bit overwhelming.

He'll stop by a rather ornate fountain away from the lights as much as he can be and cast a look up at the sky. To the space beyond.

[chiron_survivor]

Wanting to see and be seen, most of the party guests are staying close to the lights, so naturally Adia is over by the fountain as well, quietly taking in her surroundings. She startles a little when she catches sight of the man out of the corner of her eye and prepares to leave him to his star-gazing in peace --

Oh! It's someone she knows!

"...hi, Jim." She waves shyly, not wanting to distract him if he'd rather be alone.

[smartass_captain]

"?...Adia!"

Jim's smile comes easier than it normally does (and it's normally an easy smile already) thanks to more than a couple of glasses of brandy well stocked servants keep providing him. He sets the empty glass down on the nearby bench and heads over toward his fellow Nexus-ite.

"You're looking lovely." He extends a hand her way as though he's going to shake it in greeting, but when Adia offers it he instead bows to meet it where he's raising it to his face and kisses the back of it gently before letting her go. "Needed to get out for a moment too?"

[chiron_survivor]

The back of the hand kiss brings about a a smile and a bit of color to her cheeks, but she takes the gesture in stride. When you spend enough time around Reynard, you get used to that sort of thing. "Thanks, you look nice, too."

Rubbing one of her arms, she laughs self-consciously and replies. "More like all the moments. It's a little crowded inside... how about you? Are you having a nice time?"

[smartass_captain]

"Can't get away with not dressing up, since Felix is dressed to the nines in more ceremonial garb than I thought existed in his place. And since I'm his Plus one, well..."

The captain gives a shrug. What can you do? It's probably a more polite answer than 'I know' because really, a chance to dress up and impress people? Jim's ego can't get enough of the looks he gets. Who is Jim Kirk fooling?

"Ah, not much of a party person huh?" Jim moves over to where Adia is sitting and takes a seat so that he's not looking down on her the entire time they're talking. "I'm...yeah, I mean, it's enjoyable."

The captain rubs at the back of his neck though.

"I don't know a thing about magic though, and I gotta be honest, I'm way out of my depth here."

[chiron_survivor]

It doesn't surprise her that Felix is at the party, too, although she would have been hard pressed to guess who was the Plus one. "Have you met Viatorus before? He's very nice. I'm hoping to meet Runa, but I haven't seen either of them, not since their ceremony."

Considering that she was sitting all by herself until just now, it's probably safe to assume that she didn't bring a Plus one.

"No, not really. At least, not ones full of people I don't know." She hears the hesitation in Jim's reply, and smiles in commiseration. "Yeah, me too. I've read a little bit about the magic in this world, but it's all so foreign to me." Her smile quirks into a small grin and she adds, "Felix must be having a nice time, even if his magic is different. He's like a biologist at a chemistry convention."

She immediately regrets her joke. Jim is probably too cool for nerd humor.

[smartass_captain]

"I have, yeah. He and Isidor are pretty well known in the Nexus." They aren't the closest of friends, but Jim definitely owes Viatorus for helping him out on at least one occasion. "I haven't met Runa though. She seems nice. Social. Supportive."

"I've done some asking around and reading up on magic, but all of that has been the stuff on Nirn." He gives a helpless shake of his head. "The place Felix is from, I mean. So mostly I've been standing there trying to quietly poke Felix about 'modern Earth' things, but to be honest this is still hundreds of years in my past so....I'm kind of winging it here."

Her joke though, that gets a laugh out of him. A real one even!

"He's loving it, I can tell. Do you do biology or chemistry? I'm more of a physics and engineering background, personally."

[chiron_survivor]

"She does," Adia agrees. "I think she'll be good for him."

His admission makes her smile. Not because she finds it funny, but because she can so easily relate to feeling like a fish out of water. Still, she's pretty sure Jim's doing a better job of mingling and being social than she is. "When I first met Viatorus, I thought his world was far less modern than it actually is. I'd say the technology is on par with mine. Minus the space travel and sentient robots."

That laugh puts her further at ease. She relaxes her shoulders and keeps her grin. "Biology, microbiology specifically. I study infectious diseases. Do you find your background useful in being a starship captain?"

[smartass_captain]

"Everything feels a bit antiquated to me no matter where I go, but having been to Felix's world, yeah. This place is much much more modern."

Riding in carriages, dressed in leathers and furs. Fighting bandits and the like. It's a far cry from wealthy mage families having a wedding reception in the south of France like true European elite. He's pretty sure that's still a Thing even in his time.

"Micro--oh my god someone is finally speaking my language." Jim gives a relieved half laugh half sigh and scoots a bit closer. "Now is this for prevention reasons or...?" He really doesn't want to ask if she's involved in bio-terrorism but come on, it's Adia, so surely not. "Are you more geared toward human affecting diseases or that which affects necessary livestock or plant life?"

He nearly pushes right past Adia's question in his curiosity about her own studies but manages to catch himself before he gets too excited.

"It definitely helps. My science officer and CMO handle the chemistry and biology, and my helmsman doubles as a xenobotany expert. I'm much more at home with my chief engineer or in front of a computer terminal."

[chiron_survivor]

She can only imagine what life is like on ship that is more advanced than anything she's seen. It must be wonderful, not the utilitarian and cramped lifestyle she has aboard the Chiron.

His trailed off question is met with a brief look of bemusement, but she doesn't think much more of it. "Yes, prevention reasons. The Intercolonial Center for Disease Control had a number of facilities, but they liked to put us in out of the way places. My own research is focused on human disease, but there was some work on diseases impacting livestock, too." She smiles, but it doesn't quite reach her eyes. Not much use for the latter anymore.

As he describes the varied work of his crew, her smile grows wistful and a touch envious. "Your ship sounds like a marvel compared to ours. Does your helmsman ever visit the Nexus to look at plants? There was a park I used to frequent that had plants that moved on their own."

[smartass_captain]

It is very clean. Too clean, really. Lense flares are an occupational hazard aboard the Enterprise. Everyone's got their problems.

"That must keep you gainfully employed. My CMO likes to list off every conceivable way we could all die at any moment in space whenever he gets nervous." Jim rolls his eyes at Bones' rants and gives a tiny shake of his head. "List gets longer every day we're on mission."

"Ah, I've brought back samples for them to study, however for the time being access to the Nexus directly is restricted to myself, my Chief Medical Officer, and my First Officer. An incident occurred a couple of years ago where a Starfleet admiral deliberately tried to provoke a war between the Federation planets and outside species."

Jim gets very quiet when he mentions the first Khan event. It didn't end very well for him.

"Since then, we've been a lot more careful about discoveries such at the Nexus. In the wrong hands, the Nexus could easily be used as a tool for warfare. I can't let that happen."

[chiron_survivor]

"If I ever meet him, I'll try not to give him anything else to worry about," she says, amused and sympathetic to his CMO's point of view.

"Oh... oh, that's right. You told me about that when you answered my question about keeping the Nexus a secret..." She falls silent when Jim explains why he has to be so careful. She doesn't miss how quiet he gets. That incident must have hurt him somehow. It reminds her of what he's been through recently, too. How much worse it could have been if his ship had been dragged into it.

Gently, she places a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry that your universe is still touched by war. It's why I still haven't told anyone in my fleet about the Nexus. It could give our enemy an advantage... or spread our war to other worlds. I don't want anyone else to suffer the way we have."

A Wild Felix appears!

[conjuredskies]

"Adia!" Felix doesn't quite jump out of the tall grass, but Adia could be forgiven if she doesn't expect him to stroll up from the shadow of the rose bushes. "I thought I might find you somewhere quiet. It's so good to see you here. How are you enjoying the party?"

Felix used Surprise Greeting! It's super effective!

[chiron_survivor]

No, she certainly doesn't, and it takes her a moment to leave her introverted musings to orient herself to the person calling out her name.

Oh, it's Felix. That's a bit of a surprise. It brings up a lot of mixed feelings that she's not great at hiding, most of which aren't his fault, it's only that his very presence is a reminder of her stalker. But eventually happiness at seeing a friendly, familiar face wins out, and she gives him a warm smile.

"It's good to see you, too, Felix." She scoots over, in case he'd like to join her where she's sitting. "I'm enjoying it very much, It's beautiful here. How about yourself?"

and then I make him extra off-kilter by forgetting to have him sit down when offered...

[conjuredskies]

"Having marvelous fun. I haven't been at a party like this in a couple of years." He sighs. The one where he met Jim certainly stands out for that, but now he can bring Jim to the best parties! Such an improvement.

He's quite happy to slide onto the bench beside her, though the smile he gives her seems a little too bright. Perhaps when you've been laying on the flattery for a few hours it's hard to switch off. "Viatorus and his betrothed seem well-matched, don't they? The ceremony was absolutely fascinating."

lol!

[chiron_survivor]

Yes, she supposes this would be his kind of party, and not just because many of the guests are also mages. "The last party I attended like this was a university reception, but no one dressed nearly as fancy." Or in fantasy-style robes, although they don't make Felix look out of place.

That smile, though. It's bright, even for him, and seems misdirected at her. "They do," she replies, when he mentions the happy couple. "And it was. I recognized the names of a few gods. Viatorus' religion and my own have a lot of similarities despite me not being from Earth. Was there anything in the ceremony that reminded you of Nirn?"

[conjuredskies]

"I'm not surprised. Scholars tend to wear what they please. I used to get brought along to that sort of thing a lot when I was a child." Well, smaller versions thereof: the Arcane University hasn't been open for business since long before he was born.

Felix's expression turns speculative as he turns it toward the house. "The trappings are different and we wouldn't have such a complicated blessing, but beneath the surface it's very much like home. Well, this idea of a lengthy engagement reminds me of my home province, actually. The Nords up where I'm stationed don't wait around for that kind of thing. Life's too hard and short to waste any time. The Earth way is nicer, I think. But it must have been much more familiar to you - even some of their gods are the same as yours, aren't they?"

He remembered what she said about Hecate, back when they first spoke to one another. Oh, did he ever.

[chiron_survivor]

She can't remember Felix mentioning his childhood before. The image is rather endearing, and her smile widens. "Yeah, me too. My mom was a literature professor. Who in your family is the scholar? Or is there more than one?"

If Adia ever finds out that she somehow indirectly contributed to Felix's attempt to curry favor with Hecate, she'd regret ever saying a word. As it is, she's surprised to hear that he was able to find so many similarities with his own culture. "No... to be honest, not really. We don't have engagement ceremonies where I'm from. Engagement parties, occasionally, but they're casual, non-religious affairs." She pauses, then adds, "We don't have magic, though. And the gods never spoke to us."

Probably why Hecate is relegated to an old myth where she's from. She felt more than a little awkward when she left her offering of tulips at the altar.

[conjuredskies]

"My father and brother, really. Though nearly every Caelus turns out to be a mage, so an inclination to scholarship is rather a given. But you'd understand, if your family's the same."

Praying to a legitimate, reasonably benevolent goddess is the least dubious thing he's up to lately. Perhaps Adia could take comfort in that (provided she didn't think about it too hard). Felix hmms quietly. "Truthfully, making such a fuss over a betrothal is the sort of sport only the wealthy can afford, even in Cyrodiil."

But all this pleasant conversation is just a prelude. Felix half-closes his eyes for a minute, listening closely for any sound around them, before he looks up at Adia again. Quite intently this time.

"How have you really been, Adia? Nothing else has... happened, since we last spoke?"

Way to help your friend relax and enjoy her evening in an alien setting, Felix. But he has quite a few matters on his mind, just now.

(Was that Harrowheart, walking past the open door?)

[chiron_survivor]

"My dad worked in the private sector, but it's true. The spirit of academia never leaves you, even after you've earned a degree."

Don't worry, Felix, if anything goes wrong with Hecate, she'll find a way to blame herself. "Same," she says with a small laugh. "Or that only the wealthy would indulge in, maybe..." That they would also have this in common puts her further at ease, regarding Felix with a companionable warmth that she hadn't felt for him since before the invasion.

At least until he alludes to her stalker. Then she's suddenly all tense. Why bring that up here? Well, he must be concerned... at least when he isn't being distracted by whomever is walking past. "No... no, it's been quiet. I haven't noticed anyone following me or anything."

[conjuredskies]

"Nothing at all suspicious? No messages, no people with odd looks or questions?" His voice is low. He is still concerned about the matter: he's had so little time to spare for investigating her stalker lately, and it's a nagging thought that the man is still out there. Still a threat to his friend.

[chiron_survivor]

"No, nothing like that." She matches his tone, as if speaking about it too loudly will change her fortune. Her life has been quite pleasant lately, as much as it can for a refugee -- she's shared meals with friends, has the companionship of Steve's pokémon, and is closer than ever to finding Earth. She'd rather not jinx herself.

For Felix's sake, she does take a moment to think back on the past few months, in case she's overlooked anything, but nothing comes to mind. "I'm pet-sitting Steve's pokémon," she notes. "They're almost always with me, when I'm in the Nexus. That's probably been a deterrent."

[conjuredskies]

"That's very good. The creatures seem very intelligent, too- they'd probably notice anyone behaving strangely." They're not quite familiars, but they seem close enough in Felix's mind. And he'd trust his familiar's instincts to spot a threat well before his own.

He considers, then cautions, "Probably best not to experiment with sending them away, of course."

Because Adia was surely thinking of that too. Right.

[chiron_survivor]

"They're very bright," she confirms. "On the level of young children, at least." Which makes what those poké hunters did all the more monstrous, but she tries not to dwell on that. "Bucky is especially protective of me."

What a weird thing to say, Felix. She gives him a strange look. "I wouldn't dream of it. The whole point in having them with me is to give them some time outside, anyway."