Penvenom’s office, the old Abby, late afternoon. Wieda was early, nervously pacing in the office. She cleared a little space, moving chairs and such, though it pretty much was all ready for the ceremony. She stopped and checked the mirror, brushing fingers through her hair, wondering for the fiftieth time if she should have put in a glass eye for this. It would be wrong to have a drink before all this started, aye?
An uncharacteristically soft knock at the door alerts Wieda to the next arrival. A towering ursine man with dark skin and sapphire blue eyes. He’s a bottle of Kiden firebrand whiskey in one hand, and a small box in the other. “‘ere’s ‘opin’ Oi made it on toime, ya?”
“Aye, yer in time Nic. Bloody fel it’s good to see you”. She managed to get that out, bouncing a bit on her toes before jumping at him to wrap him in a bear hug. A small, wiry bear hug but still…
He catches her with a bright smile on his weathered and scarred visage, holding to Wieda as if she were oxygen and he caught beneath the waves. “S'good ta see ya agin.” He whispers raspily in her ear. There’s a brief pause, before he adds, “She’d a loved ta walk ta down th’ aisle, y'know. Ya?”
There was another knock on the door, this one very soft “Umm hello…alright to come in?”
Wieda nodded into Nic’s neck, wetness dripping down her cheek and onto his shoulder. She couldn’t speak, soft gentle sobs the only sound she could manage at the moment. She did somehow manage to hook the door with a foot and swing it a bit open.
Nic moves aside, still not letting go of Wieda, to make room for the new arrival. He offers a bleary-eyed smile to Penny as she enters. “Oi.”
Penny stood in the doorway dressed in a very plain grey dress with silver trim. She smiles a bit shyly maybe out of old habits and she goes to say something to Weeds but then stops and smiles to Nic
Wieda gave him one more big squeeze before pulling away a bit to give him a smile and a kiss on the cheek. She then lowered her feet back to the ground and reached a hand out towards Penny. “It is your office, of course you can come in”.
Nic dips his head in, perhaps, his most formal gesture to the noblewoman to date. “S'been more'n a minute since Oi seen any either o’ ya beau'iful ladies.” He turns to receive the affection offered by Wieda as he returns her to her feet.
Taking a deep breath, he holds up the little gift box to Wieda. “So, uhm… Oi may have mentioned ta Teren abou’ th’ weddin’” His hands rise to preclude any concerns that news might engender. His Brother was positively notorious for over-doing wedding ceremonies. “Oi told 'im this isn’ th’ ceremony. Jes’ the paperwork. So, don’ worry. There’s no a flee’ o’ dames an fellas off ta wine an’ dine alla Stormwin’ fer ya.”
A brief but sincere chuckle follows that remark. In a more sober tone, he explains the blue-ribboned gift. “Teren foun’ this in wit Loch’s… personal effec’s. Seems she was plannin’ on puttin’ it t'gether fer ya b'fore …well, y'know.” He shrugs, clearing the lump from his throat before continuing. “Anyway, seems Malura give’d 'is son some magic somethin’ or other, an’ he transfer’d one o’ th’ dweomers onta it fer you to have. Said she’d ha’ done it 'erself if she were 'ere.”
Penny gave Weed’s hand a squeeze and then nodded back to Nic “Good to see you…as…well, and its paperwork but…I have set up a little bit of food in my waiting room you’ll join us after?” she paused as he seemed to have something to say about the box. Her eyes down on it thinking for a moment of Loch.
Wieda took the box but didn’t open it just yet. “Thank you Nic, for bringing it and for telling him this is an informal thing. With everything going on, we didn’t want to wait any longer”. She smiled over at Penny. “I figured you would somewhere have a spread for folks, few as they will be”.
Larkin appeared in the hallway beyond only a handful of minutes behind Penny and at her side was an older man with a friendly face. He was impeccably dressed in a black suit with a crisp white shirt. Any impression that he might be uptight or stuffy was offset by his hair, black going silver and plagued with cowlicks that stood out in a half-dozen places. With an upturned palm and a sweep of her arm, Lark gestured for the man to enter the room before her. “Judge Bylund,” she began as she entered and stood by his side once more, then pointed to her fiancée. The look she gave Weeds was full of affection. “This is my soon-to-be wife, Wieda Ashcroft-Kiden.” Her gaze moved to Nic, to whom she dipped her head in a respectful nod. “Her uncle, Nic Alair.” She offered Penny a small, nervous smile. “And our dear friend Penvenom Starkstar.”
“Oi’ll 'ave a boite o’ yer food if ye’ll share this bot'le o’ whiskey, m'lady.” Nic replies to Penny, leaving the box for Wieda to address when she’s ready. Larkin’s arrival at the doorway gives him a sense of relief as he steps back toward the nearest wall to give the three women space. He offers a perhaps overly casual two-fingered salute to the judge as the man is introduced. “Alatir.” He corrects his surname, but makes no fuss as he bows to his soon-to-be-Niece-in-law. “Thanks fer 'avin’ me.”
Wieda smiled at all present as she moved to stand next to Larkin, taking the other’s hand in hers. “Right. Seems we be all here, aye? Should get this ship a sailin’ ”.
“I’ll, uh…” The judge grinned. “I will take the helm then, yes?” He looked from Lark to Wieda. “Ladies? We can do this wherever you’d like. Please stand facing one another, then I’ll take my spot and we’ll… hmmm.” He paused a moment, clearly in thought. “Ah! And then we’ll cast off.”
Penny gave an awkward smile back to Larkin and then looked at the juge “Your…honor umm feel free to use the desk if you need to”
Catching her lower lip between her teeth to bite back a laugh, Lark gave Wieda’s hand a squeeze. She wasn’t sure how the judge’s attempts to play off the sailing comment went over with her fiancée, but the unexpected goofiness had calmed her nerves. She led Weeds to a spot where the few chairs that had been set up and then turned so they were facing one another with Judge Bylund taking up position on one side of them and Penny and Nic on the other. She took a deep breath that shuddered when she exhaled. Offering Wieda a warm smile, she quietly asked, “Ready?”
Wieda nodded, just now realizing she probably looked a right mess after having had a good cry on Nic earlier. Still, with Larkin before her, Nic and Penvenom here and a momento from Loch present as well, she was never more ready. “Aye love. I’m ready”.
The judge slid a leather portfolio out from beneath his arm and placed it on the desk before facing the two ladies. He looked past them and addressed Penny and Nic. “We are gathered here, not for you to witness the beginning of what will be, but rather what already has begun. We are here to celebrate with Larkin and Wieda their existing love and understanding of each other, and to honor their commitment to continue their future together.” The man returned his attention to the brides. “Your yesterdays were the path to this moment, and your journey to a future of togetherness becomes a little clearer with each new day. May you always need one another, not to fill an emptiness, but to help each other know your fullness.” Bylund paused and his smile grew warmer, wider. “May you want one another, but not out of lack. May you succeed in all important ways with each other, and not fail in the little graces. May you have happiness, and may you find it in making one another happy. And may you have love, and may you find it in loving one another.” The engineer’s lower lip trembled and the heat in her cheeks told her they were blooming pink but, thank the Light, her eyes remained dry despite all the emotion swirling within.
Wieda was not as lucky, having already opened the dams once within the last fifteen minutes. Tears slowly rolled down her cheek even as the smile on her lips grew with each word. She gripped larkin’s hands tight, raising a shoulder to wipe at her face briefly, eyes pinching shut to force out the wetness.
Lark slipped one of her hands from Wieda’s and gently wiped the tears from her face. When their hands joined again, the judge carried on. Turning slightly toward Lark, he said, “Do you Larkin, take Wieda to be your wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?” Her hands shook within Wieda’s grasp. She nodded and then, after a momentary battle against herself, managed to speak rather than cry. “I do.” Judge Bylund turned to face Wieda. “Do you Wieda, take Larkin to be your wife, promising to love and cherish, through joy and sorrow, sickness and health, and whatever challenges you may face, for as long as you both shall live?”
She pulled one of Larkin’s hands close, placing a soft kiss on the back of it before nodding to the Judge. “Aye, that I do”.
The judge raised his hands enough for him to touch the fingers of his right hand to the ring finger of his left, a signal to the nervous engineer of what came next. Gratefully taking the cue, Larkin drew her hand away once again and reached into her pocket to pull out a ring. The band was yellow gold knotwork flawlessly etched into a background of white gold and, when it was placed on Wieda’s finger, the matching knot on the engagement ring would overlap it and make the two rings appear as one. The symbolism was not lost on Larkin, and she prayed it wasn’t lost on Weeds either. Bylund continued. “Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing them. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together.” He looked to Wieda. “Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight. May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today.” The judge gave Larkin a nod and, lifting Wieda’s left hand up between them, she slid the wedding band down her fourth finger and into place against the ring she already wore there. “With this ring, I thee wed, and with it, I bestow upon thee all the treasures of my mind, heart, and hands.”
Wieda took a moment to admire the rings, the comforting 'click’ as the knot nestled into the depression in the other band, securing them together making her smile. She looked up at Larkin and almost leaned in, the start of the motion was there before she remembered and stopped, reaching into her vest pocket and withdrawing a similarly styled ring but noticeably different. She looked at the judge, waiting….
The judge smiled at Wieda, flashed her a quick wink and again touched his ring finger.
Wieda cleared her throat. “With this ring, I thee wed, and wit’ it, bestow upon thee all the treasure of me mind, heart and hands”. With a shaking hand, she slid the ring onto Larkin’s ring finger, her eye never leaving her love’s face.
The judge held a hand up and looked past the couple to smile at the witnesses. He then turned his attention back to Larkin and Wieda, making eye contact with each before speaking again. “The story of your life together is now yours to write. Those who are present to witness and celebrate your love and commitment this day, and those who are here in love and spirit, are blessed to be a part of the story not yet told. By the power vested in me by the Kingdom of Stormwind, I now pronounce you wife and wife.” Bylund’s grin was broad and he actually giggled a little in happiness. “You may both now kiss your bride.”
This time, there was no hesitation as Wieda leaned closer, one hand slipping behind Larkin’s neck, the other intertwining their fingers. She pulled her love…her wife…closer, brushed her lips ever so softly then firmly kissed Larkin…
A single step was all it took to close the distance between them, and Lark bridged that gap and looped an arm around Wieda. Her heart raced in her ears and a kind of warmth she’d never felt before rippled through her, spreading out from where her lips met her love’s. Reluctantly, she pulled back to allow them both a breath. She hadn’t gone far though and, as she dipped her chin to gently rest her forehead against Wieda’s, she whispered. “I love you.”
Penny started to clap a little she couldn’t help it and then stopped smiling and folding her hands
Wieda grinned, staring into the other’s eyes. “Oi love you too Larkin Ashcroft-Kiden”. She turned her head just enough to spy Penvenom and catch her gaze. “More of that, aye? Something like this deserves some applause and hollrin’ ”.
At this, Penny nodded and began clapping again.
NIc clears his throat, leaning away from his wall to stand upright. With a smile to each of the newlyweds, he murmurs in his raspy bass. “Th’ two a you are fit as Queens, ya are.”
“They….are ship shape” Penny chimed in, clapping hard now.
Wieda couldn’t respond, her lips having found Larkin’s again.
Nic erupts with laughter as the two women re-solidify their vows.
For mentions and a huge thank you for being part of this: @mercurial-muses @penvenomstarkstar @Nic (who no longer has a tumblr)
