We Are Gathered Here Today....[Open!!!]

[Zane]

Sinead was elated. In the thirteen years it had been since he had come to serve in Cleara Verdad, only one other time had come close to the joy he now felt, and that was when he was named the Bearer Saint. Today, he was getting married, to a woman that made life brighter. While it was true he had only met her less than three weeks prior, he was still happy to be marrying her. Nobody nor nothing could change that.

The previous day, Elise had given him a suit that he was to wear today, it is the epitome of extravagance. It kept to his black theme though littered with a surplus of gold embroidery. Where the sleeves embroidery ended the Gold trim of the Gauntlets picked up. It was absolutely stunning the level of mastery that Elise had to her craft. There even was a hidden pocket over the shoulder where the Book of Fate now was.

Sinead now wondered what Glimmer was doing, they had spent the last night in separate beds. It had been a very restless night for him, but that was nothing he could help now. He just couldn't wait to see her.

Turning to face his fellow saint, "Well Sergari, how do I look?"

----------

Desmond was, to be honest, very nervous. He had been hired to play at a wedding of a leader of what seemed to him to be a religious cult. One based heavily on combat. He hoped he could live up to expectations, the one who had approached him had called him by his old stage name, "Prince of Strings", Which meant that the man who hired him knew of his capabilities. That worried him.

He had set up in a Tavern where he was told the wedding would be at. So far, he was the only one there. The Tavern Keeper had set him up with a sweet and buttery wine which he hadn't touched, the last thing he needed today was a buzz.

-----------

Elise was very, very excited. she had spent the last two weeks making Sinead's suit and Glimmer's dress. There was no doubt that this was her best work. Glimmer was Getting changed in the other room. Today was Glimmer's and Sinead's day, and Elise planned a few surprises for them.

[Glimmeringpearl]

Glimmer stood behind the changing curtain, heart throbbing in her chest as she struggled with the undergarments, her corset in particular. Corsets, under normal people's opinions, were comfortable. However, Glimmer was not always human. Being a mermaid caused clothes to chafe and become incessantly disturbing, but today was special and she figured she could manage not squirming for a day. She hated how lace felt on her sunkissed skin but she loved the look of it on the lingere on her skin. Why couldn't she just wear this to the wedding? Humans and their layers of clothing... This time she dressed herself correctly, having weeks of practice now. She had to take her pearls off for now but it wouldn't be long before she would wear them again. Glimmer then advanced from behind the curtain and sat at the vanity mirror, examining herself and grooming her hair gently. She felt nervous and had no grid of understanding why. Long fingers threaded through long scarlet locks, working through the damp hair though she were in the sea once more, teal eyes reflecting worry in the mirror.

[GoblinFae]

The tall, hulking figure shifted uncomfortably in a corner of the room, trying to melt unseen into the wall behind him. His eyes widened and he cringed like a child caught doing wrong when his fellow Saint called for his attention. Segari lowered his head and hunched his shoulders in an effort to appear smaller, an attempt that was useless as his appearance alone made him stand out like a weed in a rose garden.

A low grumbling sound resonated from deep within his throat, a noncommittal response to Sinead's youthful question. The Breastplate Saint had known the youth since his first introduction to their religious sect. He had watched boy become man and man become leader. Yet, today he still saw the boy. In this time of joyous celebration, Segari could not help feeling a very sobering effect. It was not his place to say anything he felt, however in turn he did not find the Bearer Saint's choice a wise one. Others had quietly voiced similar opinions behind the man's back, yet here it was the day of the event and not one of them had come forward with their concerns.

[Winters-Feather]

Sinead was a fool. He should have not used the Book to turn a merwoman human. In the past twenty years Sansi had been one of the Cleara Verdad, nothing of this sort had ever happened. 
Foolish, impulsive oaf, Sansi thought haughtily as she smoothed out the front of her pale green gown with one hand, holding her helm in the other. Her dress was simple to the cut, yet elegant, with a neckline that plunged enough to show enough cleavage without putting her scars on display.  The elf highly disapproved of his decision, but she had been sure to dress up for the occasion. After all, Sansi reasoned, the merwoman herself wasn't of a suspicious character. The elf had her doubts before, and for good reason. This man who was like a brother to her had forged a bond with a strange woman in a matter of moments and used holy magic for his desires. It just wasn't.... right. Some had blamed it on wicked witchcraft, but after much observation of the couple, Sansi had come to realize that Glimmer was a gentle, if not naive. The only thing bewitching about her was her looks and tales. Additionally, Sansi felt akin to the mermaid in a way. Both had been deemed outcasts, and had been embraced by the Cleara Verdad though in different ways.  No, it wasn't witchcraft that bonded the to be bride and groom. It was, as Sansi concluded, impulse, lust, and downright stupidity. 

Things shouldn't have happened this way, she thought, grimly. It was a shame that their happiness came from the misfortune of their sins. Nothing was going to be easy or handed to them. Had it been left up to her, Sansi would have advised against the match.  However, it had been done and ties were to be set, and the only thing the elf could do was to pray for them. The elf knocked on Glimmer's door before inviting herself in.
"Are you ready?" she asked as she glided into the room.
As expected, the bride looked stunning.
"Lovely," Sansi said, more as an observation than as a compliment.
The elf frowned as she noticed the nervous expression on Glimmer's face.
"Are you alright?" she quietly asked.

------

Jazbel entered the Tavern, as easy as you please. He, too, had been hired to play  the shawm at some religious cult wedding. He didn't mind dressing up in his finest for some stranger.  The pay was good, and he had heard interesting things about the bride.  Plus, with a wedding comes a feast, and the man wasn't one to turn down good food. The only down side was that it wasn't much of a challenge ; the job didn't require him to don a disguise or spy on anyone.
Now, now, old man, normal now and then is a good thing for one your prestige,, he thought with a smirk as his eyes glared over at Desmond. He held up his instrument for the tavern keeper to see. She pointed over towards where he would be performing before nodding her head towards Desmond.

"Better talk to that lad. Here you go, hun," she said as she presented Jazbel with a mug of beer of his own.  The man gave her a saucy wink back before drowning half of it. He then turned towards Desmond.
"Oi, boy," he said. There was no need to shout or move, since there was none around them to shout over.
"What sort of music do you know?"

[Zane]

Sinead sighed deeply, "I guess that's as about as good a reply I can get from you" he mused at his comrade. Segari was known for silence, but that didn't bother Sinead as he had grown accustomed to it over his many years in Cleara Verdad. What troubled him was what he had read in the Book over the past several days since he announced the wedding plans to them. Most of them felt he were foolish and acting impulsive and the one that didn't felt that he was sinning against Aiden. Sinead sighed again and turned towards the mirror in the room. "She completes me Sergari. And I don't mean in the sappy life-got-brighter way. Whenever I look back to before I came to Verdad, I find myself facing a void. Not even the book will tell me of my past. I've been told I was a soldier at one point. But other than that I have nothing. It troubles me that I cannot look back. It troubles me that I know not if I have a family. It troubles me that I only have the words of others as to my past. But when I am with Glimmer, My past doesn't seem to matter, She fills the void.

"I Know you and the other Saints think I'm being impulsive, that I have not taken the proper route in this matter. But in the life that we lead I could die at any moment, as could you, or any of us Saints. Do I not deserve the immense joy that comes with marriage? Don't we all deserve that joy?" Sinead looked himself in the mirror, daring the reflection to look away, here he was preaching to one of his closest friends. But it seemed that he was more trying to convince himself that he had not made a grave error.

------

Desmond nodded to the newcomer. It seemed he wasn't the only musician hired today. The newcomer had a shawm a beautifully crafted on at that. He inquired about the type of music Desmond played. "I play all sorts of music and some compositions of my own. And if a song is unknown to me I can quickly learn and build on it, there isn't much I can't learn. By the by, my name is Desmond, do you mind if I ask you yours?" the arrival of the new musician did little to ease his thoughts. he found his throat beginning to dry and so he grabbed at the wine on the table, taking a small sip then returning it to the table.

[Glimmeringpearl]

The former mermaid jumped, bristling a little after having been startled but quickly relaxing soon after. Glimmer didn't realize anything was wrong but then upon glancing in the mirror, she observed her worried gaze staring back at her. She hadn't noticed she was wearing such an upset face.
Being around human women made Glimmer self-conscious. She hadn't noticed before now that she was grooming herself with her fingers again when she should be using the brush. In the warm glow of orange candlelight her hair looked ablaze with fire that flickered as she reached for the brush and continued to brush. She began to brush from the top and work her way down, a technique that Elise taught her.
"Hello, Sansi." Her voice nearly cracked but she tried to remain composed. Sansi scared her. She was a hard woman who always seemed to look upon her with a great deal of disdain mixed in with disgust. Mermaids weren't like that. They were gentle and touched a lot when they talked to one another, a gesture that people frowned upon Glimmer for doing many times. She had to train herself to keep her hands to herself.
Oh, right, Sansi asked a question, she realized. "I-I..." She began, setting down the brush once she finished grooming. "My hands... They shake and my chest feels like it's going to open up and a million little fishes are going to just swim on out of me!!" She blurted out, feeling like an idiot when she spoke to Sansi. "I.... Have never felt this way before."

[GoblinFae]

Segari's eyes closed to shield the only windows to his emotions even as his teeth ground together in anger. The more he listened, the more he believed Sinead to be less of a man and more of a boy, and a foolish one at that.

Others had spoken of the bending and possible breaking of Aiden's Law by the Bearer Saint but the mountain of a man was far more concerned with other things. Unlike his much younger leader, he did remember life before becoming a soldier and a saint. He would never understand the boy's emptiness or even the desire to remember what was done and forgotten. He had spent too much time trying to bury his own past, to unearth it again.

Letting loose a long, drawn out sigh, the older man pushed himself off the wall and placed a heavy hand with a firm but gentle grip on Sinead's shoulder. For a moment he gazed ahead, viewing them both through the looking glass before catching his companion's gaze through the reflective surface.

"Be careful you do not make a widow out of your bride then," he rumbled quietly, before giving the other man another squeeze of the shoulder and taking a step back.

There was much more he wanted to say, yet he could not bring himself to do so, especially not now. This was supposed to be a time of celebration but, all he felt was a sense of foreboding deep within his gut. They were soldiers, men made harsh but the long roads and spilled blood of others. What did they know of happiness and gentleness? Was it wrong of him to begrudge the man he chose to follow because that man had found the one to make his heart soar? Segari did not know the answer, nor did he wish to discover it. His thoughts had already brought him too close to things left as they were.

Trying to ease the tension, he reached forward and ruffled the bridegroom's hair. "You look like a great preening bird."

[Winters-Feather]

Sansi sighed grimly at Glimmer's panicked behavior.
"Oh, child," she replied with a slight sympathetic grin.
"That's normal, I think."
The elf didn't know how to reply to her nervousness. She had never married before, though the woman reckoned she had lived long enough to have witnessed enough unions to have lasted her many moons.
The chances of me marrying are waning still, she thought with a grim smile. Even so, there was something beautiful about weddings, even ones that felt as sad as this.
"Relax," she suggested as she made her way over towards the bride, placing her helm on the table before them.

Sansi began to run her fingers through Glimmer's hair, her eyes falling on the pearls that the mermaid adored. Silently, she picked up the brush and opened a box ebony two toothed hair pins. The elf began to expertly weave her fingers through Glimmer's locks of hair, finding the activity soothing. Sansi didn't realize how much she needed a small, quiet moment such as this  until then. This wedding was causing quite a stir among the Cleara Verdad, and it was refreshing to have a moment of peace away from everybody else with the bride, who wasn't judging or making cynical remarks.
Like it or not, she grimly thought,  lecturing herself. This girl will soon become your sister. It's my duty to learn to love her and take care of her when I need to.
Sansi hesitated for a moment before gesturing towards a strand of pearls.
"I could arrange your hair and add those in," she slowly suggested.

------

Jazbel chuckled at Desmond's uneasiness, feigning shocked when his name was asked.
"You mean I didn't give it to you, miboy?" he replied, rising to his feet with a sigh.
I might as well, he thought as he mournfully looked into his empty glass.
"My name's Jazbel," he replied.
The man plopped himself down in a chair next to Desmond as he examined his shawmn. From Desmond's own words, it sounded like he was a pretty decent player. Still, that was all talk. How could he just trust words? 
"Here, then, Desmond," he said. "Try to follow this. You might know it."
Jazbel casually shrugged as he began to play a lively reel. In truth, it was of his own creation, but  that didn't matter. What mattered if was whether or not the boy could play or not.

[Zane]

Sinead looked at his reflection a minute more. He looked at his brother in arms through the mirror, he was the the man who had been serving as a Saint longer than any man before him. There was much admiration for Segari among Cleara Verdad. Out of respect for the man Sinead had not once looked into his past with the Book. There came a knock at the door, Sinead turned from the looking glass and walked over to the door.

He opened it to reveal Elise standing there with a case which looked like it was just beyond her carry weight. He quickly grabbed the case from her hands as she bowed and left. He lugged the case over to the table in the room and opened it. "She didn't." Inside the case were ten metallic scabbards, four for long sword, four for short swords, two for rapiers. The scabbards themselves were a heavy black iron with gold trimming and crossing the entire thing. He brought out one of the short sword scabbards to show Segari and it probably weighed fifteen pounds by itself.

"I don't know how she does it." The shock was clearly evident in his voice

-----------

Desmond closed his eyes and started to construct the song in his head, he knew after a few bars that it was of the mans own composition. Desmond brought his Viola to his chin and readied his bow, eyes still closed. He began when Jazbel began a decrescendo, he quickly built around the music while keeping the focus on the Shawmn's music. As the song came to a close Desmond played the descending bravado that had made him somewhat famous in Atlas Verde. There was a distinct lack of magic in his playing but that was fine. "How was that?"

[Dreamwolf]

(((Please allow me to apologize for the first post and make amends with this one!)))

Fen had been asked to attend the wedding on behalf of the Smith's Guild, he wasn't unhappy about, enjoying the occasion fully was in his plans for the day, and perhaps the night. He'd also been asked to make gifts for the couple.

For the groom he had made a sword of beauty like none the smith had made before, with gold and silver inlay on the hilt and cross-guard. The blade was made of a rare Alchemic metal called Silverite, which shone like silver, and was as light as tin, while being twice as strong as steel. The blade was etched with Runes of protection and healing, and the pommel was adorned with a Pearl he had bought just for the weapon. He'd heard the story of the bride and felt compelled to make the sword echo with the sounds of the ocean. Even the blade's runes were fashioned into waves running along a shoreline. A pair of mermaid tails flared out as the cross-guard, the scales made of individual flakes of silver and gold that had taken several hours to attach. The effect was stunning, even to the smith who had seen his father's many swords before they had been sold or given to the client.

For the Bride he had made a necklace of silver, gold and Diamond Cut Quartz. Fen had set his own magic into the necklace so that it would connect the sword and the necklace together, so that the two might be able to feel each other, even if separated by great distance. The design was built around a painting Fen had seen years before in a town he couldn't completely remember. He only recalled that painting of a princess being carried across the sea on a turtles back, the quartz, which was cut to look like diamonds, was backed by Mother-of-Pearl, so that it looked like diamonds had grown into the inside of a muscles shell, the silver chains were done link by link with a finer chain of gold woven into each link, while not as stunning as the sword it had a more subdued beauty, one that would complement almost any dress.

As for the way the smith was dressed he wore a simple black suit he'd purchased in a town on the way, he'd done the seams and trim with silver wire and set several magic runes that would keep the cloth from tearing should he shift forms. He also had his sword at his side, for one of his dealings with the Verdad had been as a fellow warrior, fighting beside a group of them to bring a group of bandits to justice. The wolf's head still held the cat's eye Chrysoberyl, though at times he thought to switch it with something more fitting for a wedding.

He stood at the entrance to the Tavern, not quite ready to join the crowd. He was not however against being there, he may be crotchety at times, but even the hardened smith was able to shed a tear at a time of such joy, even if he hardly knew anyone there.

[GoblinFae]

The giant's hand fell away and he shuffled in place while clearing his throat. He was not one for large displays of affection and being caught making even a small one always served to make him shy away and deny it. It did not do to show one's attachment to another; people were weaknesses that came and went like winter's snow. Segari had never spoken of his past to his fellow Saints but, he had kept his steadfast attitude of detachment towards all the long years he had been a Saint. Little slips, like the one with Sinead, would cause problems for them all if he continued to allow them to occur.

'But,' he reasoned with himself, 'today was a special day and while he should be on guard in case anything untoward were to happen, he could afford the small moment with his leader. The boy had earned it and perhaps would look less like a shaking leaf, if only for but a moment.'

He watched silently as Sinead wondered over the treasures with youthful exuberance. Across his own face an expression that might have resembled a smile at some point, seemed more of a grimace than anything else.

"Love," he rumbled out from his great barrel chest like the peel of a great bell sounding on a crisp winter morning. The clear, heartfelt statement caused Segari to once more shuffle about and clear his throat about in an attempt to distract from him having said such a foolish thing.

[Glimmeringpearl]

The former mermaid looked quickly back at Sansi, in mostly awe, her lips making a partial "oh" formation. She then pushed her hair back towards Sansi and picked up the pearls. "I would like that." Glimmer had no other words to say than those that tumbled from her lips. At least what she said was the truth. Her teal gaze moved back to the mirror, looking at herself, then Sansi and then... Where had Elise gone? Glimmer felt very attached to the woman now. She nearly took care of Glimmer on a daily basis. She taught her how to be a woman, how to groom and care for ones self. Glimmer then digressed and turned her attention back to Sansi.

"Thank you, Sansi." She managed through trembling. She breathed in and out shakily. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was going to happen and that she would need to be prepared for it.

[Winters-Feather]

The former mermaid's shocked expression worried Sansi.
Did I say something wrong? she thought, nervously.
She was never the best when it came to dealing with brides or soon-to-be mothers. She almost never talked about her life with her Yeud or the Vismal. When the elf maiden did mention  vague tales now and then of child birth and weddings, the information so horrified them that Sansi had politely been kicked out of more than one  birthroom.

But, no, this didn't seem the case with Glimmer. Instead, she agreed to Sansi's suggestion and handed her over the pearls. The elf solemnly nodded as she began to work. Her fingers expertly weaved the pearls through wavy locks of fiery red hair. With pins at the ready, Sansi took a section of hair at a time as she coaxed it to do her bidding,  arranging it to do a loose, yet elegant bun. At first, Sansi worked in silence. As time went on, however, she  began to hum a low and strange melody, a song she had learned from a lovelorn nymph many, many years ago. She lost herself in her work, a smile rising on her lips. Sansi was a warrior and didn't often have time for this sort of activity. The motions were relaxing, and she quickly found herself having fun.

Finally,  after a while, Sansi's work was complete. She took a moment to stand in front of Glimmer, gently holding and moving her face as she examined the effect. Several curls were let loose to frame the ex-mermaid's face. The effect was vaguely wild, but innocent. It suited the mermaid. Shyly, stepped back.
"That was the best I can do, I think," she modestly said, truthfully.

---

Jazbel thought about how best to reply for a moment. The boy was talented, to be sure. It was well that he was invited. He had a good ear and adapted to the song well and quickly. Jazbel smiled broadly at that. Clever fingers usually meant a clever mind, and Jazbel appreciated both in  a musical partner.
Today is going to be interesting, he thought as excitement shot through his bones.
"You'll do," he said, rising his glass up in approval towards Desmond before drowning the rest of it.
"Now," he said, cheerfully, "We ought to set up. The wedding is probably going to start soon, aye?"

[Zane]

Sinead quickly took off his sheathed swords and put of the metal scabbards, already he felt much heavier and the swords were not even in them. He tightened his belt out of fear that the four swords and scabbards hanging from it would pull it and his pants down, then he slowly put the swords in the scabbards/ He was a saint of black and gold, both colors of power. 'I need to integrate more color into my life', he thought to himself. He then turned to Segari, "We should probably make our way to the tavern now."

-----

Desmond nodded his thanks to Jazbel. "You're a fine player yourself." He took a sip from the wine and placed it back on the table. "Set up? What did you have in mind?" All he was going to do was stand in front of the fireplace and provide some background music.

-----

Elise snuck back into the girls room, uncertain of how Sinead would react to her wedding gift to him, it was very expensive and also very heavy, but certainly not something to be taken lightly. Glimmer's gift was on the way but Elise would have to slip out of the party to go get it later.

[GoblinFae]

Segari bobbed his great head up and down quickly for several moments in agreement before realizing what he was doing and quickly stopping. A muttered apology soon followed even as he took large strides over to the door, right on out to the hall, and halfway down it before he remembered he was leaving Sinead behind.

Groaning he hurried back and poked his head through the door shyly. "Coming?"