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

What, you don't want it to eat it like it's one of those... [What were they?] ... Pretzel sticks?

[It would be a very messy game if they did, but she leans forward anyway, resting her lips near one pointed end of the star-shaped fruit, but she pauses and reaches her hand out for his to thread their fingers together.]

... To destiny, then?

[To binding their souls together, intertwining their destinies so that, no matter what, they'll always find each other...]

Not for this...but we can revisit it later.

[A playful gleam in his eyes before it softens as she threads their fingers together.]

To our destiny.

[Just a subtle extra weight on his words as he stares into her eyes, seeing not only his reflection but a reflection of their future together. Of everything he's ever wanted.

...And he couldn't be happier.

So there's just a light squeeze of her hand before he leans to rest his lips close to the fruit, waiting for her to take the cue so they can (somehow) share that first bite at the same time.]

[With one hand in his and the other held beneath the fruit, Tifa gives him one last lingering stare over it before she parts her lips to give him the cue, and then they both bite into it together. She could already smell how sweet it is, but the taste is on a whole other level. It's sweet and sour, just like Sora had said, and it really does taste like if a pineapple and a pear got together and had a baby...

It's so sweet that Tifa's entire face puckers, and some of the juice is already beginning to spill over her chin as she tries to stifle that fit of giggles she can feel coming...]

Oh—!

[She slips her hand out from his to catch some that she can see ready to streak down the side of his lips, and for some reason, she forgets to let go of the fruit as she does all of this—]

It's sho shweet—!

[HELP]

[Tifa, no—

Although the burst of flavor is unexpected, her reaction is even moreso. He only barely manages to grab a spare napkin and bring it up quickly to her chin and catch some of the juice that drips down, all while suppressing his own laugh.

Carefully finishing his own piece and swallowing, only then does a small chuckle escapes him as he wipes her down a bit.]

Eat first.

Mm? [Her eyes go wide, and the realization dawns on her.] Right...

[She doesn't want to be rude, but as she looks at him apologetically, there's a small sluuuuurp as she properly bites off her piece, trying to catch what juices are there when she pulls back. Thankfully, they were quick enough to get most of it that it doesn't drip down over her dress, and the napkin that's tucked into the front covers her up well enough, but it's still embarrassing!

She snorts quietly, still trying to fight back the urge to laugh as she looks at him over her hand.]

Good thing we're doing this alone... Destiny's a bit messy.

Edited 2022-12-13 02:48 (UTC)

Apparently so.

[Another small laugh as he waits for her, dabbing her chin and corner of her mouth when he's able. But there's a sweet, fond look as he does, not minding it at all. If anything it just makes her all the more adorable.]

Think you can get through the rest?

Maybe...

[She turns a little to show off the other side of her lip, waiting with a slight grin for him to dab away the juice.]

Smaller bites next time. I wasn't expecting it to be so flavourful, but Sora did warn me... Probably should've listened.

If we break off some pieces, we can finish it that way.

[As she gently reaches out to brush her thumb across his lip, catching a small droplet of paopu juice that's stuck to it.]

[Although he respectfully dabs her mouth...at her thumb at his, he can't resist but open his lips and briefly capture her thumb, sucking away the juice before releasing it.]

Might be for the best.

[Smirk.]

[Whatever words or thoughts she had been processing at the time, they're all lost to the small noise she makes when he takes her finger between his lips, and she simply stares at him, bewildered at his boldness and yet surprised at all. As soon as he frees it, however, Tifa very slowly brings it to her own, pressing the tip of her finger to her lower lip and biting down on her nail with an unencumbered grin before she's getting ready to break off another much smaller piece of the fruit.

Mostly because she can't quite look him in the eyes after that lest she stumble and fall back into his spell all over again.

She clears her throat.]

... What do you think happens now that our destinies are tied together?

[He knows her too well to know how much she's been once again affected, so he just continues to smirk a bit as he stares at her before he puts his attention back on the fruit.]

Well...not sure.

[He tears off a small piece of his own before holding it out to her.]

But I look forward to every moment of it.

[She looks down at his piece of fruit, then her own, and returns the gesture, offering the one in her fingers to him, bringing it up close to his lips.]

Mm... Me too.

[A thought occurs to her suddenly then, and while she so very graciously leans forward to snatch the piece he's giving her between her teeth, there's an odd spark in her eyes. The realization of a memory that flashes within them...]

... Remind me to tell you about the time I fought destiny someday.

[There's just a quirk of his brow.]

Oh?

[He then takes the fruit from her fingertips, lips purposefully brushing against her skin before pulls back enough so they can tear off another piece.]

Mm.

[It's not a good memory by any stretch of the imagination. It's a terrifying one, but... it's just one more thing about Tifa's past that she has yet to share with him. Not out of fear anymore of what he might think, but simply having to relive those moments of uncertainty would be terrifying for anyone...

She idly breaks off a piece again, leaving only the center of the star fruit now.]

It was right before I got to Camelot. I thought that maybe being here and seeing you again had something to do with it, but... I don't think that's what it was anymore.

[Sure, they had "fought destiny" in the very literal meaning of the word and won, but when it comes down to her and Eustace reuniting and falling in love all over again a second time in another universe, it isn't that.]

[He can sense that this isn't some lighthearted hero's epic adventure tale, so he just nods with a reassuring look.]

You can tell me about it later. For now...

[He lightly boops her nose with the piece of fruit at his fingertips.]

Let's just consider this "new destiny" that we've forged on our own.

[After all, even if they had managed to cross worlds twice, there's no guarantee things would be the same or that they would form the same relationship. If Cloud had been around... It's not something they need to think about anymore, but it's a thought that will never go away, either.

And yet, despite not remembering her the first time, he still became attracted and fell in love with her, and she towards him. With how things started before, they could have gone in a completely direction... Yet they still managed to come together and after everything they did go through, they are here now. After the "happenstances" and "coincidences," they still ended up choosing each other and fought hard to be here. And he fully intends to continue fighting to be with her. It may not be a fight with weapons, but...

Perhaps now they have their own battle against destiny ahead of them, one to change the currently inevitable fate of separating without notice. But that's something they can think about and deal with later.

For now, he just wants his beloved to think of good things, happy things. To wear that beautiful, precious smile he treasures so much.]

[She laughs quietly, gently, when the cool, wet fruit touches her nose, the bridge of it crinkling along with her eyes as her smile spreads across her whole expression, lighting it up with adoration and amusement before she's offering up the last pointed piece of fruit.]

And we didn't need a paopu to do it for us.

[This is just a little bonus. Even if it didn't work—though, she'd like to believe that there's some truth or magic to it—she's having a fun time sharing it with him now, creating this precious memory together that she's etching into her heart. Every detail, every sound, every look he gives her, she's memorizing. It isn't so much about forging any path along destiny's many, many roads but about creating memories like this one that she can cherish for as long as she can...]

Or shooting stars. Or any of the other things... [She smiles and inches a little closer to him.] We did it ourselves...

[With a sigh, Tifa leans her head back a little to look up at the stars that have started to twinkle around them, and then past those to the ones that shine in the night sky alongside the moons.]

I don't like to think about it much, but... all those times we had to fight, or when things were hard... I like to think now that it was the universe's way of telling us to just... admit it. To stop dancing around everything and be together. Because that's what the stars wanted...

[She shakes her head, and that whimsical look in her eyes turns into a shyer one. She's probably said this to him a million times, but it bears repeating... Especially now, as they sit amongst those stars. Together. Together in a way that they have never been before.]

It's silly, I know...

...No.

[With his hands full of the fruit, he can only brush the back of his hand against her cheek as he looks at her.]

It's not. For all we know that could exactly be what's happened.

[Sentient stars in a dream world? More likely than he would think. But silly imagination or not, he would never think badly of her for thinking it, only cute.]

But if you're going to keep saying things like that with that kind of face, then we should hurry up and finish this.

[Just a little teasing...but it is difficult for him to properly hold or do anything with her like this.]

[To anyone else, she would have been embarrassed to say something like that out loud but with him, there's a dreamy sort of look to her face as she imagines it all. Whether it's true or not, something brought them back together—their souls, or their hearts, or something far bigger than either of them, and that much is irrefutable.

Irrefutable in the way her heart longs for him, and how her soul is so drawn to and tries to reach for him in ways she otherwise could not. As happy as she always is, there is always that ache for more, that wish to be closer, and that's how she can be sure of that...

His words, however, draw out a more demure, mischievous glint from her in her grin.]

Oh. So that we can do what?

[Tifa bats her lashes gently at him, and she brings the very last piece of fruit in her hands up to his lips.]

[A grin as he mirrors that mischievous look.]

You can find out when we get there.

[And he'll take that fruit, only this time he'll purposefully take her fingers as well. Before it had been a teasing brush, but this time he takes them more fully, teeth grazing against the skin as his tongue swipes over to take the juice staining them.]

[This time, she really does have to bite down on her lip to stifle her smile. It threatens to spread so wide and break that calm, collected façade she's putting on, but the way her eyes slightly widen when she feels his tongue drink up the juice on her fingers would undoubtedly give her away...

Especially with how intensely he's staring at her...

She darts her eyes away before she's leaning in towards the fruit that he's holding—a fairly sizeable piece—and she bites down on the tip of it first before she's slipping her lips further over it so that she can take the whole thing from him.

She manages. Somehow. And now she has another massive piece of paopu fruit, and she fights not to pucker her face again. Fights to keep a straight face as the juices fill her mouth and spill over her tightly closed lips, fights as she drinks it all up... until she can finally swallow it all.

...

....

Now with the fruit all gone, Tifa pretends to ignore the juices on her face and fixes him with a knowing look.]

So...?

[Now that they're there........]

[There's only one obvious answer. Even before she's finished, he's taken the leftover fruit and set it to the side and already moving in towards her, his lips immediately finding hers. Even though the taste of the fruit is strong and lingers, it's her own that he seeks.]

[She makes a small noise of surprise because it's all she really has room or time to do before her lips are swallowed in a kiss. She can taste the fruit across his lips as she melts into him, but more importantly, she can taste... him. Even before she parts her lips to invite him further, even before she wraps her arms around him to breach the space that's left between them... Even before she closes her eyes, she seeks him out.

And it only leaves her wanting. It's been hard for her, too, to find the time and the energy to be with him... and now that she has him here with her...]

It's so hard to let you go...

[The words spill out of her in a breath over his lips, and she clutches to him tight, fingers fisting the back of his coat as she clings to him. Or maybe it's the paopu fruit. Or the glass of wine that's simmering in her head. Or the way he looked at her when they danced earlier...

Or maybe it's just him, but a part of her isn't sure she wants to go back.]

[With his palm cupping her face, he continues to pull her in closer, his arm now wrapped around her waist in just as firm of a hold as her clinging to him. Some might think it excessive how often they seek each other like this, but that's just how they are. And in fairness, it's their wedding day—they can be as clingy and as intimate as they want.

After responding by swallowing her words, he finally parts just enough to start kissing the corner of her mouth and then down to her chin where some of the juice had trickled down.]

...Should we just leave?

[There's still...some things they have to technically be around for, but couldn't they just leave? Would anyone blame them?]

[It was only a matter of time before this moment came about... It was just a matter of when and where and how, but she knew that one of them would utter those words tonight, and it draws out a small, breathless laugh against his lips.]

I wish we could...

[There are still things that they should stick around for, aren't there? Even as she makes a quiet lamenting noise before kissing the corner of his lips.]

People are probably wondering where we are... but can we... can we stay here just a little longer? Like this?

[She's missed this.]

.....Hm.

[Just a small hum from deep within his throat as he continues to kiss her gently over her skin, moving down to her neck.]

...We can...though I'd still prefer to be somewhere else.

[Even if it would be very, very dangerous if they were to move somewhere more private and isolated.]

Mm...?

[She arches her back to him and tips her head, giving his mouth as much access as he needs to skate his lips over her neck, and she savours in that feeling—a feeling she hasn't felt quite like this in weeks. Although, it feels like so much longer than that now...

Her smile spreads, and she can feel another giggle forming in her chest that she breathes out on another sigh when he finds that tender, sensitive spot on her throat.]

We'll be there soon...

[Tifa's hand slips up to card through his hair, the strands so soft between her fingers as she reaches up to caress his ears.]

Then I can have you all to myself...

[And just the mere thought of that sends a shiver through her whole body.]

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