Board Thread:Roleplay/@comment-28358106-20170622150059/@comment-28358106-20170623004655

"Holy twinkletits..." Cyndwella murmurs so quietly that only Marcus can hear her as she stares at Asja.

Asja gives Xena a demure smile as she passes by. They reach the base of the dais, then ascend the steps up to the landing where they stop in front of the pulpit. The chorus sings its final chords, and the echoes die down.

The Priest adjusts his very tall, slightly wobbling hat, and clears his throat.

"Let the man who would give this woman to marriage, please present her to the groom."

Thomas and Asja step forward together, but halfway to Cire, she lets go of Thomas' arm, and steps forward to take Cire's. She gives him the smile that only he has seen. The priest nods, and Thomas, giving them one last smile, steps back and returns down the steps, joining Regina in the front pew, where she rests her head on his shoulder.

The Priest regards the audience for a moment, then speaks, his voice clear.

"Dearly beloved, friends and brethren, we are gathered here today..."

...And so on.

But only for a short while, a few minutes at most. He concludes.

"...And we find the loving couple here, not at the middle of their journey, but at its beginning. As we send them into the world with well wishes in our hearts, let us see a little of ourselves in them.  For there is nothing more blessed on this earth than peace between man and Mamono, and in this union, let us see them as the scion of peace, the paragon of love, that we all seek, that brings us completion in body, mind, and soul."

He looks to the couple, to Asja. "Give now your vows to your betrothed."

She looks to Cire. "I...have nothing to say to you that I have not already said," she says in an uncharacteristically soft tone, so quiet that the audience almost has difficulty hearing her. "You know that I do not speak often, or freely. But I will say this, so that all may hear.  There is no day where I am not thankful that I have known you.  Without you, I would not be the person I am, or know the life of love, or the openness of the world.  I believed I was content, until I met you.  Then I discovered that I did not know what contentment was.  You accept me for who I am, and did not change me.  Instead, you allowed me to change for you, and I do not regret any of it.  I love you, Cire, and always will..." Her voice trails off.

"Aaawwww!" Aurum squeals quietly.

"And the groom will now give his vows to his betrothed." The Priest smiles at Cire.