wedding ♔ so let in the morning light and let the darkness fade away

[luthir]

♬ from this moment on- shania twain ft. bryan white

WHO || Vi, Luthir, Wynn, Jack, Myri, Finnick, Francesca, Val'drin, Spike, Dumage, Felicity, Gus, Astrid, Fred Jr., Kat, Gar, Buffy, Rafael, Elena, Alaric, Rose, Dimitri, Aedan, Dovan, Lan, Zero, Koraith, Mark, Dawn, Archer, Des, Zarad, Alex, Faith, Faye, Sean, Anastacia [closed]
WHAT || Vi and Luthir's wedding
WHERE || Chelsea Physic Garden, London
WHEN || June 6th, evening
HOW || Actionspam

Now officially Knighted, Vi exchanges her ceremonial armor for a wedding gown, and the guests head into London to gather at the Chelsea Physic Garden.  The evening is warm and clear, and the flowers in full bloom, chairs set up on the main lawn with name tags on them for people to find their seat.  Gentle Elvish music plays everyone in, and at the front of stands an arbor covered in wisteria.  It's a remarkably peaceful setting, enough to dispel further some of the grimness of the past few days and create an atmosphere of smiles and warmth.    It seems to reinforce what Luthir has been telling Vi all along: that maybe now more than ever, this is the sort of thing they need, in order to remember what they're all fighting for.

Comments

[luthir]

More than I should be able to live with trying nothing, and losing you because we were afraid. Because there was a chance of something happening to me.

I spent a year searching for any way to combat this, to no avail, and now a way has been granted to us by the goddess Sehanine - whose power is much stronger than his has ever been.

You're the one who's always been able to be so glib about the gods, to see them as flawed creatures. He has a weakness, and his weakness is likely his arrogance. He doesn't expect anyone to dare to stand up to him.

[graveflowers]

I can be glib about the gods because they're my family! They're not torturing me every night like he is. [ she frowns, closing her eyes so she won't cry. ] If Sehanine's power is so expansive -- why hasn't she stepped it herself instead of giving us a solution that is going to kill someone.

[ vi knows how the gods in her world work, they create children like her to run their errands and do their work and curse them with the horrible affliction of being vulnerable to both human and divine weapons. but these gods are different. sehanine took jade away, she came back to speak with half of failboat, but... not vi, so she doesn't have that much faith in the goddess looking after her.

her eyes flutter open full of defeat and sorrow. ] I don't want to do this, I don't want to lose anyone because I'm killing myself.

[luthir]

We can't pretend to know their minds, or even where their limits begin and end. But you know as well as I do that she does not have the power in this world to simply end it for you. Or perhaps she needs us to prove that we are strong enough to fight this great evil, this ancient enemy of hers. Which we are. Of that I have no doubt.

[ something... finally seems to occur to him. /squint ]

... How is it that you are so certain that someone will die?

[graveflowers]

[ her shoulders sad with a tired sigh. this is an impossible fight. ] I told you, I had a bad dream.

[luthir]

[ that is a nat 20 sense motive check right thurr. his hand tightens around her in reflexive discomfort. ] ... He told you that, didn't he? That if you did this, someone would die.

What reason would you possibly have to believe that was anything less than another manipulation?

[graveflowers]

Because he likes me. [ she looks disgusted with the idea, before her lips twist in a sarcastic smile. ] I have spunk.

[luthir]

If he liked you, he would not be toying with your emotions night to night, driving you into these dark thoughts.

[graveflowers]

[ she shakes her head slightly, reaching up to fix her little flower crown. ] No, it wasn't him. It was Blade. He's not a nightly guest, he just dropped in to tell me that.

[luthir]

At whose bequest, do you think?

[graveflowers]

I know. [ another sigh, the hand in her hair rubs roughly across her forehead. ] Our song is over.

[luthir]

[ he looks surprised, glancing behind him, before focusing on her again. ] That doesn't mean this conversation is.

[graveflowers]

Can it be? For tonight at least? I didn't mean to start a fight today. [ in an awful turn of events, this is what makes her outright cry, those tears she tried so hard to contain tumbling down her cheeks. she didn't want to ruin their wedding. ] I'm sorry.

[luthir]

[ his finger wipes gently at her tears, and then he pulls her into a tight embrace. but he says quietly: ] ... Wynn's asked us to go tomorrow. I had asked him if it could wait, until after the ceremony, and he agreed to that much. It's what they're waiting on, to respond to the Andres situation.

[graveflowers]

That's our honeymoon? [ she chokes out a sob, shaking her head against him. it wasn't fair. now she had to think about thomas in regards to this, too. she thought she had more time. ]

[luthir]

We have tonight. All to ourselves. [ #smallcomfort ]

[graveflowers]

[ all to themselves... and her nightmares. yay. it takes her a second to compose herself, badly, but she does it enough to make words instead of shaky hiccups. ] Can we go somewhere... not right here? I mean, right now. Not in general. Like a tree. I want to climb a tree and hide, am I allowed to do that?

[luthir]

You're the bride. We can do anything you choose.

[graveflowers]

Come on, we're hiding in a tree for a while even if I have to grow it. [ or a bench behind a bush works too. she just doesn't want to talk to people. ]

[luthir]

I think there are several to choose from, actually. [ he takes her hand and pulls her away from the floor. ] Although yours would certainly be the best.

[graveflowers]

That's because I'm a super special snowflake. [ such complete lack of energy in her words now. she needs 47 naps. but she follows him and the second her bare feet touch the grass she sighs a little, this time not unhappily. and because she's bad at keeping things from him, she elaborates on her dream as they walk. ] He told me that it's not the nightmares killing me, it's... me. I think he thought I would be surprised.

[luthir]

The dreams have always been manifestations of things you were always afraid of, haven't they?

[graveflowers]

Yeah, my complete and utter inability to protect the people I care about. [ ahem, like him. him, putting himself in stupid danger. but she shrugs and let's herself babble like it will rid her of the weird anxious feeling in her chest. ] That's why I get to keep watching Jade die. Kids from the Legion. So many kids from the Legion. Guys from the army. People I don't even remember. And then Jade, laying there. I've seen it so many times I can still feel the blood when I wake up, like it's still on my hands. I don't remember washing it off though. I think someone at the police station must have.

[luthir]

[ he reaches over to take her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across it as if to point out that there's no blood there now. ] Violet. [ you know shit is serious, when he uses her dreaded full name. ] Do you hold your friends responsible for Jade's death?

[graveflowers]

[ should have put that in the vows tbh, only nicknames allowed. but she frowns and shakes her head. ] No, of course not. I blame Roger James.

[luthir]

Yet some of them have struggled with the guilt of feeling as if it were their own fault, have they not?