Formalwear
Fandom: Tavern Talk (Video Game)
Gen fic
AO3 link
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They're going to be late.
Quasar paces from one corner of the tavern to the other, his freshly-laundered ceremonial cape fluttering behind him, as Cain and Aegeus watch him. They've been waiting for Rune and the girls for several minutes now, and he's getting impatient.
“How long is this going to take??” He complains. “They've been up there for hours, shouldn't they be done already?”
“I thought this was normal for women?” Aegeus asks, reluctantly. “Or female-presenting, in Rune’s case, I suppose.” he pauses. “Are they female-presenting today?”
“They are, they said they like the clothes better.” Cain answers, and turns to Quasar again. “Why are you so anxious, anyway? The governor’s house is only a few minutes away, and we've got a carriage to pick us up. It isn't even here yet.”
“It's the principle of the thing!!” he defended himself. “Punctuality is a virtue! We should be all here and ready to go before the carriage arrives!”
“Don't worry so much.” Delphi tells him, going down the stairs. She looks very elegant in her dress pants and tunic, and the braids in their hair look amazing. “They're almost done. Apparently Fae formal dress gets a little complicated. We'll be on time.”
Both Cain and Aegeus brighten up, showering Delphi with compliments, which they accept shyly. Quasar rolls his eyes, and returns to his pacing. Of course, it had to be Rune delaying them.
“I don't see what's so complicated about taking a bath, combing hair, and putting on nice clothes.” He grumbles. “Delphi managed just fine - you look lovely, by the way-”
“Thank you.”
“-it just feels like they're stalling!!”
Aegeus laughs at that, with a gleam of his eye that says something he isn't telling. “Oh, my friend, if that were all they were doing...”
“It looked very interesting.” Delphi sat at the table with them, and immediately began fidgeting with their sleeves. Not used to formal wear, probably. “Very intricate, and detail-oriented. They're gonna look amazing.”
“If you say so.” Quasar doesn't want to argue with her. Tonight will be hard enough for her as it is.
Another eternity passes (maybe 10 more minutes), before they hear Kya’s giggling, followed by footsteps going down the stairs. She emerges first, in a cloud of pink lace and tulle, blocking most of the hallway. She looks effervescent; her makeup is impeccable, and her hair is woven in tight braids in a complicated-looking arrangement in her head, with a million small flowers scattered throughout. The most impressive thing by far, however, are her wings; they've been painted completely, in a very thin, translucent layer of pink, with complicated plantlife motifs detailed in a bright silver throughout. They look stunning.
“Sorry we're behind!” She calls, all smiles. “We were both out of practice with the wingpaint, and it takes forever to dry.”
“Plus there's all the braids.” Rune's voice emerges from somewhere behind her. “Between the three of us there's like, a million of them, and Kya’s hair takes even longer to braid.”
Kya finally steps off the stairs, and from behind her, emerges the most beautiful creature Quasar has ever seen.
Their frame is petite, and slender, as Fae tend to be. They are clad in a forest-green, A-line dress, with a giant slit down the front, revealing legs clad in dark pants, and very tall boots. A long train trails after them. The dress itself is sleeveless, but the person has on opera gloves matching the pants. Their hair is very intricately braided, with strands weaving in and out of place and falling softly over a bare shoulder. There is minimal makeup on their face, just something glittering on the cheeks. The jewelry is all gold and purple, from earrings to bracelets to the delicate-looking chains braided into their hair.
And their wings are gorgeous, light green and with a complicated-looking pattern completely covering them. It seems to be a repeating pattern of six different symbols, but Quasar isn't capable of trying to puzzle out their meanings at the moment.
“I think we managed okay, though.” The figure speaks in Rune's voice, and Quasar startles. No way. “Whoa, look at you, boys! You clean up nice!”
“Look who's talking!” Aegeus is off the table and next to Rune in a second. “I don't think I've ever seen you in this few layers!! Who knew you were hiding all this body, Rune?”
They laugh, slapping his arm lightly. “Shut up! I'm gonna be cold like halfway through the party, this is going to be a nightmare.”
They finally turn to look at Quasar, dark eyes full of humor and appreciation. There's no doubt; this enchanting creature, right out of a fairy tail, really is Rune. He's not sure how to handle that.
They smile. Quasar feels his body heat up under the armor.
“You look nice!” They say, beaming. “The Starlight armor really suits you.”
“T-thank you.” He croaks, taking a moment to look them over in an attempt to compose himself - which fails miserably, because this is when he notices their plunging neckline, halfway down the ribs and held in place only with delicate lace. “I- uh- you- gorgeous??”
“Thank you?” They raise an eyebrow at him, and tilt their head. Dragons, he is not used to that expression not partly hidden under a hat. “Is the carriage here yet? These boots are not made for walking, let me tell you.”
“It just parked outside!” Cain calls, from what feels like a million miles away. “Let's go before Quasar has an aneurysm!”
Rune approaches him. He is frozen in place, even as they take Quasar's arm into theirs. “Help me walk to the carriage, won't you?”
He moves automatically, acutely aware of where his arm is held close to Rune's chest. For once, he regrets wearing the armor, unable to feel the warmth of their skin.
Oh, Dragons, this is going to be a long night.
