[GP] The De Rolo Wedding Reception

[st_abby]

The calendar of "Kahl-ee-Fornea" was very different to that of Tal'Dorei. But the spring dance had been a good reminder for the Exandrians (one of them, anyway) that the Renewal Festival would take place more or less this time of year, landing always on the thirteenth day of Dulahei. It seemed a fitting time to set the 'small family dinner' in celebration of the marriage of Vex and Percy.

...Yeah, but no. Because Vax'ildan didn't mind a bit of revenge for their having done the thing without so much as telling him for several weeks, and because his sister always deserved the best of everything anyway, the garden had a whopping lot more than that for the happy couple as they opened the doors onto what first looked like pitch blackness. Until the big, white-hot spotlight snapped abruptly on to glare down on top of the pair with blinding scrutiny.

A familiar voice sang out from beyond, his ever-charming booming and crooning amplified to fill the whole of the outdoors by something called a 'microphone,' Scanlan using all his singular panache to belt out a melodic tune:

"There she is, Mrs. De Rolo
There she is, your ideal
The dreams of a million boys and girls who want to find love in Emon City
For Vex may turn out to more than Baroness of the first house of Whitestone and Grand Mistress of the Hunt
There he is, Mr. De Rolo
There he is, your ideal
With so much brooding and tinkering he took the town by storm
With his all-Whitestone face and form
And there they are
Walking on air, he is
Fairest of the fair, she is
There they are - Mr. and Mrs. De Rolooooooooooo~"

A resounding wave of applause, murmuring, cheers, and laughter broke out all around the newlyweds - one such unbridled merry cackle absolutely coming from the bride's brother - and Scanlan's tone changed immediately to a much more vibrant, excited, sporting-event-enthusiasm style of announcement: "Ladies and Gentlemen - it's the DE ROLO FAMILY!"

The strands of bulb lighting popped into yellow-soft brightness all at once, revealing the guests gathered around dozens of tables artfully set with dinner places enough for everyone at the Inn. Each table included flowers, linens, and garlands all matched in smart Whitestone-Blue, darker Owlbear-Blue, black and white with touches of gold accents, all thanks to Caroline's management. The outdoor area so far as one could see had been dressed in one of Lillith's illusions to mimic a beautiful forest clearing at purple-dusk with fireflies dancing, the shapes of buildings and foothills in the distance distinctly cast to look like the city and castle of Whitestone. Ignis and Emma stood by putting a few final touches on what they'd all started calling 'fancy barbecue,' an enormous buffet of haute cuisine smoked and grilled meats with artful sides, a table beside them holding up the massive layer cake Pike had tirelessly fussed into perfection. So many others had come together to help or to wish the de Rolos well - but there would be plenty of time over the evening for them to be thanked and recognized with food, drink, song - there was even an area marked out as a dance floor.

A freshly bathed Trinket in his very own bowtie lumbered up to Vex'ahlia to rumble and lick her face as the pair finally had a moment to react to the spectacle. At ground-level, a small disc-like device with a large serving spoon taped to it had been labeled with marker as Ensign Stubby, rolling its way between tables and chairs while balancing a large, many-times-stabbed basket of flower petals (with a handful left nestled in its giant spoon) on top of its flat surface like a drunken flower girl to finally bump into Vex and Percy's shoes. ...And possibly the best thing about their stunning surprise? That Peter boy had got the whole thing on VHS.

Comments

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

"That's lovely to hear. I'm very glad you reached out to her," Pike let herself feel a moment of pride. She had never and would never push her friends towards Sarenrae, but she'd be lying if she said she hadn't hoped that some of them would embrace her eventually. Redemption or forgiveness weren't things that could be forced and the same held true for belief in her lady. "You mentioned something about meeting her? I have to admit, I was a bit overwhelmed during that whole conversation and I don't remember that part..."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

There was so much from back home he couldn't tell anyone, but he wanted to. Sometimes he thought he could tell Pike everything, but he wasn't sure it was fair to ask her to burden it with him.

"We had to get gods to help us. Our first stop was to Sarenrae's realm. It was beautiful. She was beautiful. She was really proud of you, Pike."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

"Wow," Pike breathed as she ran her fingers over the female form of her holy symbol. She never got tired of knowing that her lady was proud of her. She'd felt the warmth of Sarenrae's approval through their connection, but how amazing must it be to hear it from her in person. "We actually went through the divine gate? I would love to hear more about her realm... if you're okay with talking about it?"

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

"Alright." Scanlan nodded. He started to describe the Island of Renewal to her. Of the pearl-like sand and how Grog was fascinated with them. Of the Crystal Palace in the middle and how simply walking to it was impossible. Only she and him had been able to find it, her more easily, and had to guide everyone else to meet her. And then Sarenrae herself. What she looked like, how she spoke to Pike. How she thanked Pike for restoring the temple in Vasselheim, all of it. And then how Pike was granted the Blessing of the Everlight.

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

Pike obviously knew that Scanlan was a good storyteller. After all, she'd listened to him weave tales big and small - true and false - for years. But she'd never been so enraptured in his words. She tried to keep up, to put everything into her long term memory.

"Her realm is an island," Pike smiled broadly, giggling just a little. It was more perfect than she could have expected. Her thoughts flashed back to how wonderful it had felt to escape to the sea back in Exandria, how going to the beach with Jag had pulled her back together after Scanlan's arrival.

It seemed so simple, but knowing where her lady lived meant more to Pike than knowing about the blessings she might receive one day. Without thinking, she let go of his hand and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. "Oh Scanlan, thank you."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

He paused for a moment, perhaps because he was shocked, but then wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her back. "You did all the work. I just retold it for you." He wished she could see it for herself. He knew she would at some point.

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

She pulled back, but before letting go completely, kissed him on the cheek. “Retelling it is so important though. We only have bits and pieces of information because so much has faded along with her following. I don’t know when her holy days are or who her champions were, but now...” Looking up to the sky, she spun in a little happy circle, “But now I know she has an island. A place that’s hers. That’s for her followers.”

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

The kiss left a heated welt on his cheek and it seemed to linger even after she pulled away. It brought a smile to his face.

"I know of at least one champion now." Scanlan looked at her pointedly.

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

"You knew one champion," Pike corrected, "We don't know if I'll ever actually get that honor."

Her hand found his again and intertwined their fingers, "And if we do end up going back to when we're from, I doubt we'll remember any of this."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

"How do you feel about that?" He wondered if she wanted to go home or not. He thought that if Grog could show up, maybe he wouldn't want to leave here at all, especially since Vax was here and alive.

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

“Well,” she drew the word out to give herself time to think. “Obviously I miss Grog and Kiki and Gilmore and Kailey and all of the people we left in Exantria. I’d hate to think that we’ll never see them again.”

Her brows furrowed in concentration, trying to find the right words for her feelings, “But I don’t want to erase all of this. Returning home would mean losing these memories. I’d forget Bo and Alec, Steph, Jag...everyone. I’d even lose you, to some extent. All of the progress we’ve made would disappear.”

There was no perfect solution, but at least here she could retain her memory along with a little hope that their missing friends would arrive eventually. “What about you? How do you feel about it?”

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

"If Kaylie and Grog and Keyleth were here... I'd stay. I wouldn't need to go back." Sure, he'd miss other people, but - he stopped himself from opening his mouth and saying more.

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

“Scanlan?” She squeezes his hand, sensing that something was off, “Is everything alright? How bad had things gotten back home? I’m here to listen, if you need to talk about it?”

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

"Maybe not on Vex and Percy's big day." He offered her a warm smile. "Let's just enjoy tonight, okay? Maybe I can convince you to honour me with another dance."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

"Alright," Pike wasn't one to push. If he wasn't ready, or this wasn't the time, she would respect that.

"Speaking of the lovely couple, I've been meaning to ask you...do you happen to know if they did the same thing back home? Run off and get married?"

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

He nodded. "They did. It only came out when Percy blurted it out. Vax wasn't happy then either." He smiled a little. "I guess that means we all stay the same sometimes, huh?"

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

"I knew it!" She laughed, "Was it during the year they spent in Whitestone? I bet it was. Something was definitely different."

She caught his eye, a smile tugging at her lips to match his. "Some things will never change, no matter what plane we're on."

It was an interesting thought. Maybe there were things that were just meant to be?

But this place was changing them though, each in their own little ways. "Do I...do I seem different here? I feel different, but I don't know if that's a good thing."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

He looked at Pike, considering the question. Scanlan had always watched her the most. Even before he helped to bring her back to life, he felt close to her. "You're more self-assured. More independent. But the changes I see in you, they're all good."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

Him seeing her as more independent made sense, especially from his perspective. He never really got to see her when she'd been running a temple reconstruction or organizing a clinic.

"Self-assured? Really? I still feel like I doubt myself all of the time," Her nose wrinkled just slightly, "But, maybe it's because I'm not constantly being pulled in two directions anymore? Back home I was always balancing my work for Sarenrae and being with you all. No matter what I chose, there was always a part of me worrying about the other."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

"Maybe that's it." He nodded. "Or maybe it's because you're starting to really decide what you are and aren't willing to put up with anymore." A faint sort of smile that might have held a tinge of sadness appeared.

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

"I did learn that I don't like cantaloupe," she gave him a sidelong glance, mischief in her eyes.

The sadness that flicked across his face didn't escape her notice. Was he talking about himself? Did he think that she wasn't willing to put up with his particular brand of obnoxious anymore? The thought almost made her laugh because the exact opposite was true. Since he'd arrived, Pike had found herself wanting to be around him more than she had before the whole 'leaving' fiasco.

She tried to find the words to reassure him, or explain, or just do anything helpful, but what popped out was, "Scanlan, would you like to go on a date with me?"

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

The look of utter surprise mixed with excitement was rule and raw on Scanlan's face. "Really? A date? Like... a real date?"

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

His wasn't the only surprise between them. Pike opened and closed her mouth a few times, then smiled sheepishly at him. "Well, yes. A real date. Is that...is that something you'd be interested in?"

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_illsinging]

"Yeah!" Which came out far too quick and not his usual suave self. He paused and gathered himself. "Yeah. I'd love that. Whenever you're ready, let's go on a date."

Re: True Love Will Find You In The End - For Scanlan

[st_ealthless]

"Yeah? Great. That's great. We should do that." Sarenrae help her, what had she just done?

The thought of her lady sent a reassuring wave through her. She could almost feel her approval. That was a good sign at least.

"Um, we're kind of trapped here though...so I don't think we can really go anywhere..."