songerein | fourteenth shot ⊗ wedding day

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fourteenth shot ⊗ wedding day

Who: Eustace, Tifa, and anyone who wishes to join the wedding reception! RECEPTION IS OPEN INVITE so anyone can join in the log even if the characters don't know them!
Which: Open log
Where: Along a long stretch of the riverbank
What: It's Eustace's and Tifa's wedding and while their ceremony was private, they've invited anyone who wants some free food, drinks, and dancing to join in and have fun! For a visual reference of how things, we have an image board you can use.
Warnings: The gumdrops are lurking—

On a sunny, early afternoon of the 3rd, the ceremony takes place in a private setting at the Corgi Tree where Trahearne awaits to officiate. But by the time late afternoon hits and everyone from the ceremony and other guests arrive at the reception located at the Riverside, the area will have been completely transformed.

While there are no leaves left on the trees, they are decorated with hundreds of little glowing blue and red starflowers, and from the branches hang lanterns that flicker with firelight that give off enough warmth that it can melt away the cold beneath them. Those familiar with Tifa may recognize it as her own dreamotion magic fueling them, as well as the smaller lanterns at the center of each table. Seating is abundant at the long tables decorated in silk, and blankets are provided for people to take to keep warm if the fiery logs scattered about are not enough. Large flowery tree decorations stand tall on every table as the centerpiece, as well as plenty of flowers, courtesy of Oriphi and Isabela's Madrigal Blooms.

However, in spite of the comfortable heat that lingers, snowflakes fall from the sky and the treetops, and while they may be cool to the touch, they will melt away before they can touch the ground. Should one look up, not only will they see the snowflakes sparkling in the light, but there is a ceiling of stars that twinkle alongside them, speckled through the air and spreading outwards in all directions from wherever Tifa is.

To kick off the dancing will be the couple first, with a performance by Phantom. Everyone in attendance will be given a sparkler, and as the song reaches its climax, not only will the sparklers burst with light, but the snowflakes will shimmer a little brighter, and the hundreds of stars will erupt into thousands that spread through the Riverside and across the dance floor. Arcs of lightning and wisps of flame ripple through the crowds, some of them forming shapes in the air to paint pictures of a small rabbit and a wolf leaping between the glittering specks of light.

The rest of the night is dedicated to a good time, with the band playing a variety of different kinds of music to dance to. Alongside them will be more performances, including a song on the violin from Dohalim.

While the ceremony will be small and reserved for friends, the reception will be free to whomever would like to join or is just passing through. Seating is abundant, as is the food, so join in the festivities! Drink, dance, and celebrate! Be sure to grab the small bags of rose candy treats from the Flower Dogs.

Leave well wishes or words of advice for the couple on the GUESTBOOK (and if you have a gift, be sure to leave it there, too) before you leave! (Compiled version can be viewed here)

I. FOOD

The menu for the evening includes:

🌟 A variety of soups and stews, both meats and vegetables alike.
🌟 Freshly baked breads for dipping or to enjoy with jams, jellies, or butter.
🌟 An assortment of various meat dishes provided by Eustace and helped prepared by 76: chicken, duck, pheasant, beef, pork, deer.
🌟 Featuring a large wild boar hunted and prepared by Eustace in three different ways: braised, spicy chili barbecued, and roasted.
🌟 Stuffed potatoes, cooked greens, roasted fish.
🌟 Winter-themed desserts such as mini cakes, cookies, mousse, pies.
🌟 Special drinks courtesy of Diluc and Oriphi: S'mores coffee liqueur cocktail, Starry Night cocktail, mulled wine

Besides the delicious food that has been provided courtesy of Soldier:76, the game hunted by Eustace, a three-tiered cake baked by Sanji, as well as cocktails from At Day's End, there will of course be other treats and drinks for people to enjoy throughout the night.

S'mores stations will be set up, and people are free to use the fire pits that have been set up all around for warmth for toasting marshmallows that will change color depending on one's emotions. There is also a coffee, hot chocolate, and eggnog station set up next to it for all. Be careful, some of it might leave people feeling a little giddy after a cup or two. But don't worry, they're alcohol free, unless you'd like them not to be.

Because of the huge amount of food, there are takeout boxes available for anyone to use to take home! Please, take it. Take it.

II. ACTIVITIES

Besides dancing and general mingling, there are plenty of other things for those in attendance to enjoy at the riverside.

Thanks to the surge in dreamotion, bubbles will occasionally float from the river. If one is lucky enough to catch a glimpse into them, they will see a reflection of a happy memory, or even a hope or a wish for the future.

On the other side of the dance floor is a small photo station with a photographer who will happily take people's photos with his dreamotion camera. Preserve some memories with friends and loved ones!

Eustace has frozen over part of the river, so slip on some skates (provided) and enjoy a night of ice skating under the stars! There is plenty of snow to go around as well, so might as well make the most of it. Sculpt snowmen, snow animals, whatever your heart desires. And who knows, with enough dreamotion, that small snow rabbit or dog might come to life and prance around. Of course, it will cause no havoc, but they sure are cute. The corgis will also be around to pull around dog sleds for anyone who would like to go for a ride along the river. A perfect opportunity to practice for those sledding races.

For those looking for a quieter getaway from the festivities, there are some flowery and candlelit paths that lead down along the river should anyone need a break, as well as into the trees for someplace secretive and quiet. Anyone for a moonlight tryst, perhaps? But watch out for the singing fish. At least the white and pink gumdrops will have had a feast so they will be mostly behaving (but should they catch anyone they think might be particularly delicious, they won't hesitate–yes, this is a threat and they will not hesitate to join in on the festivities), but there are still sprigs of mistletoe for those who may want a little less "excitement"...

III. TRADITIONS

A. Flower Wreaths & Crowns. On every table beneath the flower decoration stand there is a basket of various winter flowers with a small note of instructions included inside (click the text).

"From the remote, distant snow covered islands of North Vast.

Due to the harsh climate, flowers are a rarity and the ones that manage to bloom and survive are treasured. Thus for my people, flowers are not seen as delicate but strong and persevering, providing color in an otherwise white world. They've become a symbol for the women who have had to help build and support their families.

For the wedding, the bride will gather flowers to give to all the women of the village so that they can create their own crowns and veils and join in celebration. Men can also create a token to give to their loved one, romantic or familial.

Throughout the festivities, women will take a flower and weave it into a special veil that the bride will wear once the festivities are over as a symbol of their support for her new journey ahead.

Feel free to participate or take them home for your own purposes.
Eustace."

Over by the table where Eustace and Tifa will be sitting will be a small table with the initial veil standing on display. Anyone with a flower is free to weave one in. Otherwise, as the note mentions, anyone is free to make their own flower crowns or other flower creations. There are plenty of flowers to go around (and can be readily restocked).

B. Catch a Shooting Star. Set aside is a small table with a series of glass jars of varying sizes. In front is a small card with Tifa's neat handwriting explaining what they are for (click the text):

"From Nibelheim.

At sunset, the children would be sent out to the grassy fields just outside of town to collect fireflies to bring back to the happy couple. It was never a contest, but we would always turn it into one to see who could catch the most in their jar. Emilio was quick so he usually won, but I came close once! My village was small, so there weren't a lot of chances for it anyway. Once the sun was gone, we would turn off all the town's lights and the couple would make a wish beneath the stars and set the fireflies free.

The wishes could be for good fortune or prosperity, or it could be a prayer to wish their loved ones well. We believed that, because they looked like the stars over Nibelheim, they were good luck, and could carry their wishes back to the Planet on their backs.

Unfortunately, it's a little too cold for fireflies to come out for that now, but I've taken my own twist on it. If you look up to the stars above your heads, they look a lot like fireflies, don't they? If you can spot a shooting star, catch it in one of these jars.

And, instead of giving them to me and Eustace, we'd love for you to hold onto the ones you do catch. Make a wish on them and if you want to release it with the hope that the wish will come true, then you can. Or you can keep them and hold onto that wish until the right time. The star will stay alive for as long as that wish you imbue into it does...

So whatever you do with it, hold that wish close to your heart.

- Tifa"

The stars she speaks of continue to twinkle well into the night, and while the shooting stars are fleeting, they are bountiful. They are quick, however, and sometimes, they may wind up stuck in treetops and will need help getting out, or they may land in someone's drink. As Tifa explained, should anyone catch one or several (however many they would like), they may free the stars so that the Planet may grant their wish, or hold onto that wish and bring the jar of stars home. If nothing else, they would make beautiful lights or decorations!

C. Paopu Fruit. On another table is a large bowl filled with star shaped fruits and a large pile of napkins (once you have a taste, you will see why there are so many.) There is a card for one to read in writing that is neither Tifa's nor Eustace's with a short explanation of what this is:

"Paopu fruits:

If two people share one fruit at the same time, their destinies become intertwined. They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what."

Inside the bowl are pieces of the Paopu fruit. While there weren't enough to offer whole ones for every guest, there are more than enough smaller pieces for anyone who would like to try this with their loved ones or even their friends. Destinies are not limited to significant others, after all, and should one wish to remember one another when this dream ends, that is all the reason they should need, yes?

According to Sora, the fruit should be bitten into at the same time, and they are very sweet and sour, "like a pineapple and a pear if they were fused together and made a baby." Hopefully there are enough napkins provided, as it might get a little messy!

IV. FLOATING LANTERNS

Towards the end of the night, a call is made out for everyone to gather by the banks of the river. There, tables lined with blank star and moon shaped paper lanterns can be found and everyone is instructed to feel free to decorate them with the provided flowers. There are also blank sheets of paper where everyone is encouraged to write down a wish, a hope, or dream and then insert into the small envelope already attached to the lantern. Once enough time for everyone to finish has passed, there is a final call for everyone to use their dreamotion to light them up and toss them up into the air so that they can fly high into the night sky, Eustace and Tifa releasing theirs first followed by the wedding party to lead the way. Don't worry, if anyone is unable to use their dreamotion, someone can assist.

But there's just one last "show" to cap everything off. After releasing their lanterns, Eustace will step back and raise his gun, Flamek, high into the air, small snowflakes and warm ripples of blueish white electric energy gathering around him. His voice, though quiet and low, is crystal clear as he recites the incantation.

"Flamek Thunder. Your hour is nigh. Take my heart and paint the skies. Heaven's Starfall!"
With each passing word, the wind around him billows, the distant boom of thunder rippling overhead along with flashes of light. It feels as if a storm is gathering, and yet rather than ominous it feels warmer, almost freeing. The blueish white electricity spins around Eustace as Flamek's barrel splits and opens, taking on a slightly different form as it gathers the energy around it. Pale red flames now join the electricity, and on the final word, Flamek releases it all, a blue and red beam of light blasting straight upward into the skies.

At first nothing seems to happen, but then the skies seem to ripple and shift before the once black sky is filled with wavy curtains of color, blues, whites, and reds shimmering like the northern lights found in colder climates. As the lanterns fly up higher, carried by a sudden gust of wind, they pass through the curtain, their lights flickering like stars against the colorful canvas.And slowly, gently, white starflower petals rain down like snow.

[ooc: THEY'RE MARRIED YAAAAY!! Feel free to make any toplevels and treat this like any other party mingle log. For anyone who'd like to make toasts or speeches, please include them in your toplevels!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i. reception

[Though it's been some time since Dohalim found himself at a gathering of this nature, the weddings he had most recently attended back home had been truly joyous events that he had been quite personally invested in, and this one is no different. He finds himself quite at ease among the crowd, dressed for the occasion and mingling with any who seem amenable. He is quite agreeable to dancing, and will both offer and eagerly accept invitations to do so freely.

Of course, the best part of any such gathering is often the food, and he seems especially interested in the desserts that have been set out in offering— there are so many, it's quite difficult to choose, and he will offer anyone else lingering near the table in question a smile.]

I have to say, I am uncertain of where to start.

[Later on, he can also be found participating in snow sculpting, where he will be using both his hands and dreamotion to slowly bring a pair of rappigs into being. His efforts are almost painstakingly slow, but such is the burden of a perfectionist.

Of course, it's impossible to ignore the bubbles floating up from the river. At one point, he will reach up to carefully let one come to rest upon the tips of his fingers, giving a wistful smile as he catches a glimpse of someplace all-too-familiar to him on its surface, a thriving Viscint in miniature, a snapshot of his hopes for Elde Menancia being realized.]

Hope for the future, indeed.

ii. catch a falling star

[The idea of actually catching a shooting star is so whimsical and charming in its own right that Dohalim cannot help but want to try— and as it turns out, it's not quite so difficult as he might have imagined, though there is some challenge to it.

Namely, the star he's currently looking at has lodged itself among the branches of one of the trees, and he rests a crooked index finger against his chin as he looks up at it, considering, open jar held in his other hand.]

I'm afraid I am not dressed for climbing.

[Is he ever? Dreamotion, of course, is an option, but he wonders if using it to shake the star free might send it off in another direction, or otherwise disrupt it somehow.]

iii. wildcard

[Want to simply talk to Dohalim during the reception or try something else? Feel free to approach him however you wish, or catch me via PM or at necrofancy to work something out together!]

[Kisara wanders over as he's deducing how to proceed, intent on maybe hunting down her own star. She hesitates after spotting him, uncertain for a moment in a way that is unusual for her, but in the end opts to approach him anyway, setting her own jar down.]

You're dressed better for it than I am.

[For once. Tonight Kisara's in a simple but elegant blue dress with an open back, a pale shawl over her shoulders.]

I can give you a boost, if you like.

[He brightens immediately as Kisara joins him, and for the moment, he doesn't seem to notice that anything might be amiss regarding her behavior. She is always a welcome sight, and he offers her a bow in greeting, followed by a shake of his head.]

A generous offer, but I'm not so certain you're dressed for that, either. I wouldn't want to be responsible for spoiling your gown. You look lovely, I might add.

[He can't say there have been many opportunities for him to see her dressed like so, but it's not the first— even if the occasion he has in mind is one she's not yet experienced. Even if it had been, she doesn't look the least bit out of place. The dress suits her beautifully.]

Any luck catching stars of your own?

Ah... thank you. Yours suits you as well, no pun intended.

[Her cheeks dust a soft pink, still a little embarrassed and out of place, but trying to revel in it rather than feel self-conscious. (Far be it for a peasant like her to wear anything so elegant, right? ...No, don't be bitter. She looks great and feels great. All is well.) He has a point about not ruining their attire through a boost up, though it is in her nature to offer and try to be helpful regardless. Dohalim doesn't always have his priorities straight, but in this case, his expertise in finery benefits them both.

Which leaves them back where they started: bereft of stars. She gives her jar a light nudge with her heeled foot.]

I haven't found any, but I only just started, so there's still hope for that.

Not even partly intended?

[He gives her a gracious smile all the same, making an effort to keep the atmosphere light rather than giving her the opportunity to dwell on any self-consciousness she might be feeling. It’s not the first time he’s seen Kisara blush in response to a compliment, which means perhaps she hasn’t received nearly enough in her time. A terrible shame, in his opinion.

He looks down at her empty jar before glancing back at his own. Poor showing all around, then.]

I haven’t been at it long, myself, but the tradition itself is so lovely, I could not help but want to honor it. In a place like this, I dare say our wishes may very well come true, if we manage to catch any. Perhaps we leave this star to its own devices and see if we can find others? I believe there are plenty to go around.

I'll admit nothing.

[She returns the smile, feeling a little better already- he does often have that effect on her during the quieter moments.

His suggestion has merit, so she tilts her head towards the path ahead.]

That's a good idea. Care to walk with me? We can keep an eye out for stars until we both have one.

[He bows his head in response, a show of eager acceptance as he gestures to the path with one hand before offering her his arm.]

I cannot think of a finer companion for such a venture.

[They have always worked well together, and have only continued to do so as they have seen fit to develop new talents in this place, each with the aid of the other.]

Between the two of us, no doubt we’ll have an entire host of stars before the evening is through.

[She accepts his offered arm with a quiet thanks, allowing him to take the lead as they start up the path. It feels a little strange to walk like this, like she's a proper dainty lady to be guided; still feeling out of sorts from the troubled conversation from earlier, it's hard to feel as if she belongs. He's playing the part of the perfect gentleman, which is not out of character for him. He's ever been courteous and polite, even to those who might otherwise attack him like their friends originally intended (and indeed Shionne tried), and even in the days where he'd kept his distance, he wasn't the type to mistreat someone. His offered arm isn't any great surprise to her. Still, it's hard to feel as if she belongs here.

Beatrix had told her to pamper herself, though, so... for a little while, she'll take this. It's good to remember that her company is wanted.]

There's no need to take too many for ourselves, tempting as that might be. Unless you're full of wishes that need fulfilling?

[That quiet tone of hers isn't entirely out of character, but there is something about the way she speaks, the way she takes his arm that suggests some kind of hesitance or discomfort— not with him, perhaps, but that something does not sit right with her. For the moment, he looks ahead, smile pulling at one corner of his mouth as they start down the path.]

Not for myself. Perhaps just for the thrill of catching them— they could easily be given to others who might be having trouble finding their own. No doubt everyone here has at least one wish they might like to make.

[A pause before he turns his gaze on her, his smile becoming a touch more reserved.]

Has the evening been treating you well, Kisara? You seem as though something may be troubling you.

Dohalim il Qaras | Musician & Guest | OTA

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I see what you did there.

I'd be sad if you didn't!

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wildcard

shovel talk time? :>

much to beatrix's horror C:

it cannot be avoided c:

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