votivescholars | The Engagement Ceremony of Viatorus and Ingirun

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.))

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

chiron_survivor

"Okay." She doesn't seem entirely convinced, but she's not going to push her offer of help. She can always look for his wife if he loses himself again.

His words are met with a soft blush and the very beginnings of a soppy smile. Her gaze drops to the chevrons on his sash. He's a seer... a real seer. His visions have earned him honor and acclaim. She can set aside her agnosticism and put faith in what he's seen, can't she?

Hope pushes against her chest... and it hurts. Why does it hurt so much to want this?

"It's... very hard for me to imagine," she says finally, looking into her drink. "That... after everything, we could be together again."

From:

votivescholars

Oraskis' smile is a sympathetic one. He pulls his hands back to fold them on his lap and gives himself a moment to think of what to say next.

"Time is a strange thing. It isn't as simple as us mortals describe it, or as predictable as we'd like it to be," he tells her. "My visions of the future are not set in stone. They can change. Now, that's not often, but they can."

"It may sound ironic, coming from me, but if I've learned anything from this gift, I've learned that we should live in the present. We can always learn something new that changes how we see our past, and our future can change in the blink of an eye from what we expected. To live in either one is... maddening." He chuckles and leans in to add, "I should know!"

Lifting a hand, he pats his chest. "Listen to your heart, to what it says in this moment. It will guide you to happiness if you let it."

From:

chiron_survivor

She keeps her gaze low through the beginning of his advice, unsure if an unstable vision makes her feel better or worse. The fact that he knows Caspar at all has her shaken to her core. But as he explains his philosophy, her nerves steady. She takes a deep breath and looks up at him, even smiles a little at his heartfelt gesture.

"I've spent a long time caught up in the past," she admits. "I thought focusing on the future would somehow save me from myself... but you're right. The present is all we really have."

Taking another sip of her drink, she finally relaxes a little. In this moment, she is grateful to have company at a party that is compassionate and kind. "He would've hated being here," she muses aloud. "But he would have looked nice."

From:

votivescholars

It's reassuring to see that his words seemed to have given her some comfort. Catching a glimpse of a potential future is not an easy thing for anyone, but she's dealing with it with grace, he thinks.

The comment about Caspar gets a chuckle. "Not a man of pomp and ceremony?"

From:

chiron_survivor

Someone having visions of her and Caspar together is not the weirdest or most unsettling thing that's happened to her. Although it's probably in the top ten.

"No, not really. Or of parties in general." This doesn't seem to bother her. If anything, it brings about a small, sentimental smile. "We kept each other company at any social events on our ship. The second I suggested leaving, he was walking with me to the exit."

From:

votivescholars

Her memory brings about a large smile to his face. The affection with which she speaks is enough to give anyone warm fuzzy feelings, and it's hard not to be charmed by it.

"That sounds like a wonderful partnership." He pauses to look around and then lowers his voice to say, "If you want to take your leave at all I promise I'll cover for you. It's not as nice as leaving with a young handsome man, of course."

From:

chiron_survivor

Knowing that he has seen Caspar, or at least has a memory of seeing him, makes sharing her memory a little less painful. "Thank you, but I'm enjoying myself," she says sincerely. "It's so beautiful here, and I have good company." She gives him a quick, grateful smile. "That's all I could want at a party, really."

She'll have to return to her ship at some point, though. "I was also hoping I'd get to meet Runa, or at least thank Viatorus for inviting me before I leave." She casts a look around, but it's all unfamiliar faces. "Is this, um... is this the kind of reception where they don't show up until much later?"

From:

votivescholars

"I'm sure they'll be appearing shortly," he assures her and follows her gaze to help scan the crowd. "They would have had legal documents to sign. If you think our patrons are strict then you should meet our lawyers! I'll bet Viatorus is doing his best to avoid meeting everyone at once, too."

Having no luck in spotting the man and woman of the hour, he turns to Adia. "Shall we go and have a look for them?"

From:

chiron_survivor

That hadn't even occurred to her, the need for legal documents. "They take their engagements seriously here," she says quietly, before laughing a little at his lawyer joke. "Sure, let's. And I think you're right about Viatorus, I'd be doing the same thing."

She stands up and offers a hand to Oraskis -- or wants to, but she has both her clutch and nearly empty glass to deal with. She flounders for a moment before that same astute servant comes over and politely whisks away her drink. She smiles in relief and then offers her free hand to the seer. "Are we still avoiding anyone for your sake?"

From:

votivescholars

"I'm not sorry I don't have to go through mine again," he mumbles in agreement and starts getting ready to move from his comfortable spot. He might be Viatorus' cousin, but there are quite a few years between the two of them. As he accepts her hand and lifts himself up he grunts with the effort of it. "Thank you, Adia."

At first he looks around to see who he can spot, but then makes his decision and waves a hand before offering her his arm to hold. "No, no. I'll just tell them that I'm taking my new friend to meet the couple of the hour."

When they approach the building Oraskis stops for a second and then pats her arm and turns left instead of walking through the door. "There's another door this way." No sooner have they turned their backs than there's the smashing of glasses and a chorus of alarmed yelps. Oraskis doesn't turn around, but he does shake his head. "Mr. Garcia's eye for pretty women will be fatal one day."

Inside has mostly calmed down. People have grouped up, which makes it much easier to walk between them. If she casts her eye around, Adia will be able to spot several turning heads, plenty of which suddenly become anxious at being kept in another conversation. One middle aged woman with frazzles blonde hair and thin lips approaches Oraskis.

"Mr. Durant," she starts with a shrill voice. "I have been looking for you all afternoon." She takes a deep breath and it's clear she's about to dive into a long winded story. "My sister said she talked to you about her gardenias and just like you said, they died exactly a month later. Well! She wasn't too pleased about that! But I told her, I told her that you were a seer, a Durant seer, so of course they were going to die if you said so…"

It's hard to focus with the endless shrieking running through his head, and Oraskis soon finds his eyes glazing over.

"… and I thought 'well, if they had asked Mr. Durant we could have avoided that whole fiasco'! Really, she thought that man wouldn't be an embarrassment? The scandal of it all. You know how terrible it all is."

"Ooh!" Oraskis puts one hand to his head and rests the other heavily on Adia's shoulder. "Ooh, I'm having a vision!"

The woman, after having jumped initially at the howling, now leans in with greedy curiosity. "You are? What do you see?"

"Ooh… I see… I see…" He contorts his face and gasps. "Oh no! It's terrible! Dreadful! Oh, how could you live with the shame?"

She tilts her head and shuffles closer. "Who?"

Oraskis wastes no time in pointing directly at her nose. "You!"

"Me?" She squeaks. "What happens? Where?"

"Here! Now!" He throws his hand back to his head. "Oh, by the gods! How terrible!" Just as she opens her mouth to speak, Oraskis points at her again, making her jump again. "You must go! Quick! You might avoid it! Go to the gardens! You might be safe the gardens!"

"But-!"

He moans again. "Ooh! Quick! Before it's too late!"

It's clear that the woman is caught between what to do, but after debating for half a second she turns around and half trots, half runs, out of the hallway. The few people nearby are left staring at Adia and Oraskis.

"Oh, I need to rest," he says loudly. He starts shuffling further inside and mutters a low, "Quick, let's find Viatorus."

From:

chiron_survivor

Being called a friend makes her smile anew. She once more wraps her arm around his, content to let him lead. Grateful, too, when he steers her clear of Mr. Garcia and whatever trouble he has caused.

She tenses a little when they enter the building, even more so when she notices the additional attention. She knows that it's directed towards Oraskis and not her, but it still makes her self-conscious. It's why she doesn't say anything when the frazzled blonde approaches, her gaze politely dropping when it becomes obvious that she is not needed or wanted in the conversation.

If you can call it a conversation. Adia finds herself fighting back a frown. This woman is pestering him over dead flowers? Really? He's a powerful seer, not the manager at a garden store. Doesn't she have more important things to concern herself over?

His sudden moaning of a vision startles her out of her thoughts. Worriedly, she holds out an arm for him, but it only takes a few seconds before she catches on to what he's doing. Now it's a smile she's fighting to hide, instead of a frown. When the woman runs off, she manages to ignore the stares, gently patting Oraskis's hand and saying, "That took a lot out of you. Let's find you somewhere comfortable where you can recuperate without being disturbed."

Once they've moved on, she gives him a look of admiration and whispers, "How often are you able to get away with that?"

From:

votivescholars

"Far more often than I should," he admits and briefly pulls the guilty expression of a man who's been caught out. "Nobody wants to question the Seer. Vercor and his wife can see right through it, though. Viatorus too. Once upon a time the only one I couldn't trick was my brother." It's then he takes a moment to smile gratefully at Adia. "Thank you for playing along."

"Adia! And Oraskis!" The mixture of joy and relief comes from a familiar voice. Viatorus beams and hops towards them, having just slipped out of a busy room to the immensely more appealing quiet corridor Adia and Oraskis have found. The door he came from opens again and his young bride-to-be appears, so he stops for her. "Runa! Runa, come and meet Adia."

The flush in Viatorus' cheeks are quite likely a combination of nerves and the clear, flowery scented liquid in his glass, but there's no doubt that Runa's bright smiling comes naturally to her. She eagerly hurries over to offer her hand. "Hello Adia. I'm Ingirun, but you can call me Runa. Everyone calls me Runa." She stops suddenly and then corrects, "Everyone except his father."

"And my grandmother," Viatorus adds helpfully as he comes to stand next to her.

Oraskis rolls his eyes and chuckles. "Typical Gnonyma."

Viatorus' thoughtfulness is broken by a wide smile again. "I'm so glad you two met." A hint of anxiousness resurfaces then. "Was the food all right? Are you being looked after?"

From:

chiron_survivor

"No problem," Adia says reassuringly. He'll get no judgement from her for using a fake vision to get himself out of an annoying conversation, and her by proxy.

She's glad to see Viatorus in good spirits, and even more delighted to meet his fiancée, although her smile is rather shy when she shakes the woman's hand. She's just as pretty up close, and bright like a ray of sunshine. "Hi, Runa. It's nice to finally meet you. I'm so honored to have been invited to your engagement party. It was a beautiful ceremony."

Unsure of what else to say, her friend's question comes as a relief. "The food was amazing. This whole place is amazing. I'm having a great time." Visions of ex-boyfriends nonwithstanding. "Your cousin has been wonderful company."

From:

votivescholars

"That's not difficult for such a lovely woman," Oraskis tells Adia with a smile and a pat on the arm.

It's clear that Adia's answer's offer Viatorus some reassurance as they ease his fidgeting and widen his smile. "That's good. Great. I wasn't sure how everyone would find it. I know it's... it's probably different to how most of my Nexus friends celebrate. We, um, we don't have as much technology as you or Jim must have. I was worried it might be too... strange."

Runa giggles and smiles kindly at Viatorus. "You met in the Nexus, remember?"

"Oh." A little red appears in his cheeks. "Yes, well... I suppose that's a point."

From:

chiron_survivor

His compliment widens her smile, and makes her giggle to boot. Looks like she's been in good hands.

"No, it -- I don't find it strange at all. Well, the technology, anyway. I haven't been to a party like this in a long time." She smiles self-consciously. Aside from a few university banquets, she's never been in the presence of such splendor, but to admit much more would make her sound like some sort of poor temple mouse. "It's lovely."

The exchange between the young couple doesn't go unnoticed. "Nothing is stranger than the Nexus," she agrees. "Have you had a proper tour yet, Runa? It's really something else."

From:

votivescholars

"Viatorus has shown me a little," Runa replies, bouncing on the spot with a mixture of excitement and hopefulness. "I'm still exploring. It's all so... big and colourful!" She laughs sheepishly and tucks a loose strand of hair behind her ears. "There's so much to explore. I can never make up my mind where to go. Do you have any favourite places?"

From:

chiron_survivor

It's nice to see Runa so enthusiastic about the Nexus. "I spend a lot of time in the Plaza," Adia admits. "But that's more for the free coffee and wifi... the parks are lovely, and there is a large lake -- at least, I think it's a lake -- that has a beach at the edge. There's a forest, too, that I've taken walks in. Some of the trees move around, but they're friendly." Or at least they don't do anything malicious.

"Oh, and there's a library, too. It's huge. They must have every book in the multiverse there." She pauses thoughtfully and laughs. "Well, every book on pokémon, at least, because that's what I've been researching lately."

From:

votivescholars

"I've seen the library, but it's so big inside. I need to explore it some more." She laughs again and smiles quickly at Viatorus. "I'm sure I'll need to go looking for him in there at some point."

Viatorus seems to agree with this sentiment, shrugging and nodding as he sips at his drink.

Then Runa leans forward, tilting her head inquisitively. "What's pokémon? Are they to do with microbiology?"

From:

chiron_survivor

Runa likes the Nexus and the library? She shoots Viatorus an encouraging smile. This girl's a keeper!

"Oh, no, they're a kind of animal... well, a whole set of species of animal that are from... somewhere else. A bunch of them wandered into the Nexus through a portal and then never left. They're like... magical creatures, but like nothing I've seen in any storybook. Steve has three of them, I'm taking care of them while he..."

She trails off. She hadn't known it when she last spoke with Viatorus, but she learned from Harrowheart that they were close friends. Her expression sobers. "...while he recovers."

From:

votivescholars

The light behind Viatorus' eyes dims when Adia mentions Steve. His smile remains, but although it's held up by an obvious hopefulness it flickers dangerously. "Is he...? How is he? Have you heard anything? Isidor told me that he was... he was hurt. I-I-I wanted to... to invite him, but I... Isidor couldn't get a message through. H-He probably needs to rest anyway. Get back to full health. Get better. Good." He swallows hard to stop himself from rambling more and glances between Adia and a concerned looking Runa. "How... How is he?"

From:

chiron_survivor

"I don't know," Adia admits softly, wishing she had a time machine so she could go back just far enough to avoid bringing up Steve. This is supposed to be a happy occasion; she hates to cast a shadow over things. "I, um... I took it upon myself to care for his pokémon. I didn't know if anyone would remember to check on them..."

Trying to salvage the conversation, she draws herself determinedly and says with conviction, "But I'm sure we'd find out right away if something happened, so he must be getting better. He just needs time to recuperate."

From:

votivescholars

Viatorus' shoulders sag at the lack of a definitive answer, but Adia's words of encouragement allow him to summon a determinedly optimistic smile. "You're right. I'm sure you're right." More seriously he adds, "But if you hear anything, let them know that the Durant Healer would be happy to help in any way she can."

"Speaking of helping," Runa starts. "If you need help taking care of Steve's Pokémon I'd be happy to help how I can." Her own smile is a little nervous. "I haven't seen many magical creatures, and I love animals."

From:

chiron_survivor

"I will. Absolutely," she assures him. She's not sure when she because a potential contact for Steve's recovery, but she'll take on the responsibility if it comes to that.

Runa's offer for help is much appreciated, and Adia shows it in her smile. "That'd be wonderful. I try to visit them every day, but they could always use more playtime, especially Sarah. She's so full of energy... she's a growlithe, which is kind of like a dog, except she can breathe fire. There's also Ethel, a shieldon. She's kind of like a little dinosaur with steel armor on her head. They're both very, very sweet. Bucky is a rufflet, a kind of bird, but he's wary of strangers, so don't be offended if he doesn't take to you right away."

She speaks of them like a proud parent talking about her children. Too bad she doesn't have any pictures to show her.

From:

votivescholars

"They sound amazing," Runa breathes, eyes wide with curiosity and awe. She beams suddenly, looking between Viatorus and Adia. "I'll ask Gry for advice." She turns to Adia to explain, "She's my sister. She has an amazing gift with birds. She can talk to them and see through their eyes... She can teach me some bird manners so I can be on my best behaviour."

Very quietly Viatorus asks, "Would... Would I be able to see them too?"

He can't help but feel a little like he's piggy-backing on Runa's request, but...

From:

chiron_survivor

"Oh, wow..." Despite being at a party surrounded by mages, she forgot that everyone in Runa's family has magical powers, too. "That's incredible. Do you think she'd be able to talk to Bucky? He's a bird, but he's a pokémon, so he's not the same thing as a regular bird..."

Caught up in her musings on avian taxonomy and magical interaction, she almost misses Viatorus's request. "Hmm? Oh, of course you can." She smiles at him warmly. "Any time you want. You're always welcome. You too," she says, turning towards Oraskis, so he doesn't feel left out.