The day you've all been waiting for is finally here! ;>; I think we've all prepared for long enough and I don't want to wait any longer for those sweet sweet Makeons, so here we go! This first round will be everybody arriving and taking their seats. Feel free to post multiple times in this round as your characters converse and and find a place to sit. If you aren't certain if your character is welcome to join, send me a PM and we'll work out the deets, or just ask me in the cbox :D Y'all will have until October 14th, then the main ceremony will begin. Also a note: its currently snowing, but I haven't edited that into my post yet.

Leon was quite literally vibrating with excitement.

They had spent nearly all day decorating the caves in preparation of the ceremony. He was tired from the constant workload - it had been rather exhaustive on his magic - and his brain was nearly frazzled from trying to figure out how to hang up the glowing rocks on the vines to make it look perfect. Thankfully, they came up with a great idea of stringing them along the ceiling and walls, and draping them down either side of the altar and with a winged companion, it was easy enough to arrange them. He was thankful that a group of Gembounds had come to help him, otherwise he'd probably still be working on it now. Well, that wasn't true - the rest of Maji Walezi probably would have stopped to give him a hand too, but he didn't want to take them away from their duties.

In any case, it was complete. Looking at it now, the bear found himself absolutely dazzled. The lights were still shining, twinkling like distant stars as they adorned the walls and hung in the air, suspended from the vines dark enough to blend in with the background. It looked almost like they were floating there. He'd told Makyna not to look last night, because he didn't want to spoil the surprise. It would be the first time she'd see the decorations, as far as he recalled based on their planning. And he wasn't to see her until the beginning of the ceremony. He hadn't seen her since early this morning, and already his heart was aching for her - but it was for good reason, and maybe he was just nervous, maybe he was just too excited to finally see her in the crown he'd made her, walking down the aisle to join him in unity.

A few of their groupmates were already here and Leon had been quietly making conversation until the time that the guests were supposed to arrive. He and Makyna had extended the invitations themselves with a specific time to arrive, and though he knew that most of his friends would be able to make the ceremony, he couldn't deny that he was still a little anxious. He wanted this to be perfect. He wanted there to be no shortage of people to see Makyna in all her beauty, he wanted everyone to hear the bear commit his vows, eternally and so passionately, he wanted everyone to know of his boundless and utter love for her. But most of all, he was doing it for her - he wanted to make this the best day of her life, unforgettable and beautiful.

The bear sat in the middle of the aisle, restlessly fidgeting with his paws. The aisle was marked by two rows of petals that separated the designated seating area - it was far enough away from the waterfall that they wouldn't get wet, but the low din of the cascade would still act as a gentle background noise in the silence of the ceremony. The bear himself was equally as decorated. He'd spent a good chunk of time grooming himself, only for someone else to tidy him up even further, sleeking his messy fur back and winding small flowers into the ruff around his neck and head. Another bright blue flower sat on his wrist, secured there the same way he'd secured the opal shard for Arkrael, glued into his fur with dry mud. Granted, it was a little more gracefully done this time around, so it looked just like the flower was sitting on his fur. His gift for Makyna - small shard of blue crystal with a flickering red glow in its heart and attached to a thin vine as a necklace - lay in the hands of his capable ring bearer.

With a huff, he glanced back, then towards the main area of the cave, then to the tunnel entrances, hoping to see the faces of his friends arrive before long.

Arkrael

You don't know what your power has done to me
I want to know if I'll heal inside
I can't go on with a holocaust about to happen
Seeing you laughing another time

It was the day. The day her dear friend was to be betrothed to the love of his life. Arkrael had spent a few days alone, lurking and tucked away into the tallest of fern bushes that Eridanus had to offer. Unwilling to face the reality of what she would one day have to face. Yet, that would not be her focus today. A smile curled her features as her paws padded along, eagerly heading towards the place the wedding would be taking place. There was an excitement in her that she had not felt in a long while and there was no way she could miss this very special day for her friend. Around her ankle a bracelet was secured, holding onto a glowing shard that had meant so much to her. Even now it was probably the most precious thing to her and she had Leon to thank for that.

It wasn't long before she found herself within Pisces and she slowed to a stop as an awe washed over her. Multi-colored eyes looked around astonished by the sites she saw. The place was decorated beautifully and she couldn't contain the wagging her tail began to do. Quickly she shook her thoughts and trotted further into Pisces before her gaze finally settled onto the bear that she was seeking. She smiled a greeting to him, giving a friendly yap to exclaim she was there and took no hesitance to find a sitting area on the side she would assume be free. She didn't want to take anyone's spot, but she also wanted to make sure she had a good view. She couldn't wait to see Makyna in the crown she assisted Leon in making. He had every claim to it's design, but at least she could have contentment in knowing she had helped make such a beautiful thing.

"Hey Leon!" She yipped excitedly, her tail still thumping against the ground as she sat in her chosen spot. It was relieving to be able to focus on something so good and happy. Aside from her current problems that had plagued her mind, she had nothing happy to look forward too. Now she did. And she was absolutely happy for it.





"Speech"
Tags:
OoC:

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You'll never know why your face has haunted me
My very soul has to bleed this time
Another hole in the wall of my inner defenses
Leaving me breathless, the reason I know....

Clover arrived, a very small, worn, scarred satchel around her neck, holding the wedding present she had created for the couple. Ohh, she was so excited to attend! Even if it meant leaving behind Vazi...her steps faltered, her eyes lowered, remembering. How hateful Vazi had become. It hurt, inside, for her to see them like that, to remember how they used to be, so full of good intentions, to see them turn into....this.

Did she ever really know Vazi, when they were children? She had only met and played with them but once. Was it in them all along to be such a monster? Or did the truth of them show when Vazi smiled at her? Was it a lie? Were they still good, deep inside? Or were they nothing but a manipulative, tormenting monster? What were they, really?

She stopped, and closed her eye, knowing she was almost to the wedding site. This was not the mindset she wanted to be in. She had slipped away from Vazi to enjoy this, and she would. This was coming back to reality, to her happy and love-filled world that she longed for. She wouldn't let Vazi stain anything, any part of her.

With her head held high and a happy smile on her face, she walked back into Pisces, her feet crunching in the snow, admiring the handiwork in the decorations she had helped with. It truly was a magical place - the hush of the waterfall nearby, the pleasant snowfall and the pure white floor, sparkling silently under the starry lights up above, the happy aura of the bear and the wolf already settled down and waiting for everyone to show.

Would she see her lovely Ambrus and her clever cat Bartos here? Oh, she did hope so. Would...would she see her Vicktor too? Could she hope for that?

She spied a low, flat rock, covered in a comfortable blanket of snow, and deemed it the perfect place to set aside her wedding gift. She bent her head, picking up the rotting leather with her teeth, and edged the whole thing over her head to set it softly on the 'table', then eyed a seat for the upcoming wedding, up front, of course. Once she sat comfortably in the cold snow, laying mostly down for the comfort of those who might be behind her tall form, she nodded her heartfelt congratulations to the bear. What a beautiful thing all this was!

BARATHEON

"the world is mine for the taking"

After weeks and weeks of preparation it finally was happening! The wedding! He didn't exactly know what a wedding was but everyone was excited about it so he was too! He knew that the Leon-Bear and the Makyna-Lion were particularly close, exchanging close words and loving glances. It was... strange, the Dragon didn't understand it. He loved Rauslin-Daughter and the Wolf and the Horse but he didn't act like that with them. It was... weird but still, cute in some way. In any case, he liked when everyone else was happy and got along.

He also liked how the cave was decorated. It was absolutely gorgeous with flowers and hanging, shining lights! A complete transformation that left him smiling with glee. The cave was supposed to hold a lot of guests, or so he believed, but so far only a couple of gems had shown up besides the Leon-Bear. Of course, he was there with his daughter perched atop his head while he himself sat back on his haunches. If there were a lot of people he wouldn't want her to get lost or stepped on, and she would also want to see, right? So, his head seemed like the best spot. Along with the best spot at his head there was another spot at his side where the Ghost sat at his flank. He offered the spot on his head but it seemed that the Ghost didn't want to sit up there... No matter, he was bigger than the Daughter and could hopefully see.

The dragon's single eye swept over the room eagerly, watching and twinkling with joy. A grin settled on his snout as he dipped his head to each guest that would show up. Oh, this would be an absolutely lovely day!

242+
@Rauslin
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6/10

"Talking looks like this!"
Thinking looks like this...

The child shifted nervously from her perch, it felt too high though she held back her protests on the matter. Rauslin didn't know why they were here, but clearly her Da wanted her to see whatever was going to be taking place. There were a lot of gems gathering but it seemed to be centered mainly on at the front with the big brown man, was he waiting for someone? She couldn't be sure, but eventually she would find out right? To bad Da was a dragon of few words or rather no words. She'd yet to hear any grace his lips, though it was clear that his understanding of them was there. It was normal for him and she had accepted that, but with Mama gone she felt the tight grip of yearning for stories and knowledge. The horse would be back though, at least that was what she thought, to think that she wouldn't return made her guts squeeze tight with anxiety. With a soft sigh Rauslin squeezed her eyes shut allowing her head to tip down pushing her muzzle into the dragon's soft fur for comfort. After a moment the worrisome thoughts drifted away and her wide eyes popped open to observe once more. Her golden orbs caught on the decorations and lights, it was so pretty and foreign, the urge to place the unknown things within her mouth was almost overwhelming. It was as if doing such a thing would confirm that they were real and divine to her what exactly they were. Of course she didn't have the opportunity to do such thankfully due to her positioning upon her father. That did mean it put him in her line of sights, as she tugged playfully at his ears and gnawed haphazardly on his broken horn. Of course her antics must have bothered him, but he took it all in stride with the patience of a saint. At last boredom took her and she relented her barrage of attacks to instead speak quietly into the male's ear. "Its gonna start soon, right Da?" She waited for his response before a soft smile slipped across her lips and she allowed herself to relax upon her perch. It would begin soon and it filled her with giddy delight. For now she'd stay quiet and continue to observe until the gathering revealed to her its purpose. "Open me up, I'll sing to you baby..."

@Baratheon

Ghost hadnt had much time to introduce himself and get to know the small canine, but he was content sitting at baratheons side. He wasnt completely sure what was goong on- whats a wedding? He knew it to be leon and makyna, but the term was unfamiliar to him. Others were around that could see what it was, so he was tempted to ask bara to show him where they were. After the swimming event the other day, ghost knew now that the dragon could send him images of things. Granted, these things didnt make sense, but at least he would know what was happening. He kept his side pressed into the dragon - it was easier to know when he moved. The canine child asked a question that he knew bara couldnt put into words, but ghost didnt answer either simply because he didnt know. He knew bara would just give a sound rrpresenting one or the other depending on if the wedding was about to start or not. speech table code © rasta 2015

With a tail thrashing left and right the African wild dog hobbled carefully into Pisces with a skull resembling a lion's head in his jaws and an adult Lammergrier perched on his shoulder. He was excited for whatever this... 'wedding' thing was, that Aza'zel had told him about. He'd spent a long time with the vulture looking for appropriate skulls to give to the lion and the bear (though he wasn't sure what a bear was, either) and not once did it occur to either of them that a gift of skulls might not be appropriate to begin with.

He had been told that weddings were 'formal.' But he didn't know what that was, either. Regardless, he had taken the time to paint small patterns on his face. It was unclean, and he hated it, but he remembered that Pisces was full of water so washing it off as soon as the wedding-thing was over would be easy; but there was something weird about Pisces. White drops of.. well, they were definitely things coming from the sky. The dog twisted his head back towards the vulture, briefly, before he continued on. He couldn't speak with the skull in his mouth, after all.

He headed towards where a group of gembounds had began to gather, looming around behind the crowd as he placed the skull down, looking behind him again. "Grandpa, what ones are the ones doing the wedding-thing?"

@Azazel

He'd been busy at work actually trying to build things with his earth magic when the messenger had come for him. Bartos didn't recognize the bird, only attributing it to a thing similar to the big dragon he'd met a while ago, but it had come with an invitation for him to something called a 'wedding'. Ever the scholar, Bartos just had to know what this wedding was - he'd asked, and been told that it was some kind of a union between two Gembounds that loved each other. A single explanation wouldn't be adequate enough to sate his curiosity though, Bartos had to attend - and so he accepted the invitation with gusto, not only because he wanted to know what it was (and it seemed he'd finally have a means to travel outside of Orion without fear of getting lost), because his dear doe friend would be there.

They had left Orion behind and though Bartos watched the starry room disappear over his shoulder as they went, he'd soon turn his eyes to the tunnels that stretched onward before him. They were illuminated with bright warm lights that made the snow below glitter, snow that bit his paws with a coldness he was completely foreign to. He sniffed at it, twisted his ears and played with it before remembering that he was following the eagle - Ambus - to the site of the wedding. And then his mind began to wander, greedy with thoughts of the wedding and how it was all about two Gembounds who were in love and how love must be such a great thing that it would make two Gembounds want to be together forever - and how he liked being with his doe friend, and maybe that was something like love? But he didn't know, and he didn't want to say anything about it because he didn't know enough and he didn't want to sound stupid.

He was briefly distracted from his thoughts once they made their way to Pisces and Bartos was met with a brand new room and a brand new sound, the low din of the waterfall rushing against one of the walls, and the ceiling and walls sparkled with lights but not like the stars of Orion, they were rocks that were glowing. Wide-eyed, he found himself lost in the sight of the room, stepping dumbly after the eagle towards the congregation. And then he saw something big move, something white, and he recognized the dragon Baratheon, and found his gaze roving in search of his friend.

He spotted her laying near the front of what he assumed would be a seating area, almost blended in flawlessly with the layer of thin snow that blanketed the ground. Where was it coming from? Oh, no - he couldn't afford to be distracted again. With a wide grin, the cat bounced towards her, wanting to call out her name and vie for her attention but - that's right, she didn't really have a name, did she? He'd forgotten the name she had mentioned before, the one that wasn't hers. Thankfully, the need to call out to her was gone because he was already next to her and the cat skidded to a halt, but found the snow beneath his paws slippery and ended up bumping into her shoulder instead. "Ah! S-Sorry! I mean, hi!" He fumbled, jumping back again as he stared wide-eyed at the doe.

Lillith was still getting used to her new home but she gradually was getting better with being there. She hadnt really met anyone from the Maji Walezi. She did look up to Leon and Makyna as her parents after Leon brought back to Maji Walezi to live. He was her savior and when she learned that Leon was getting married the gembound cub couldnt help but be excited. The little girl ran from where she had been sleeping calling out to Leon to let him know that she was coming and not to start without her. Her whitish fur shone in the sun as she ran. She got to where the ceremony was going to be held. Lillith saw others from Maji Walezi were there and she went to the front row. Though she wondered if Leon had her as the flower girl type gembound. Lillith bounded over to the brown gembound and stood in front of him looking up. "Ummm....Leon?" she asked.

Fisher had no idea what had possessed him to come to this dumb, overhyped meeting. It reminded him of days long gone, back when he had been innocent and delightful. There were so many gembound here that he could almost believe this wedding wasn't just a hoax... But even if that was true, it didn't shake the bitter taste from his mouth. Seeing Leon stand around like a total doof...

Part of him wanted to be happy, but a quiet jealousy quelled in the furry creature. He could handle meeting the bear outside of Pisces, could even smile and joke, but back in the cold dampness he was only reminded of a life he could have had if only things had gone differently. Aza'zel was at the wedding too, but the noodle decided to avoid that whole bundle of feathers.

His wounds still ached from the battle in Polaris as he settled down in the mossy field by himself, watching with his copper gaze as the scene unfolded. He caught sight of Arkrael running up to Leon and snorted, wondering how those two had gotten so close on him. It was a shame, he truly would have liked to keep the hunting partner all to himself. A bit selfish, but he was being sincere with himself for a moment.

Interestingly, a white doe was among the many faces he didn't recognize. The fisher cat perked up at the sight of her, trying to catch a whisper of her voice-- but she didn't speak. The noodle could swear he knew her from somewhere, but for some reason he couldn't quite place it. Difficult. At any rate, the mustelid simply watched the others mingle, keeping to himself for the time being. He had come, and that was what they wanted, right?