The Marriage of House Ebonne and the House of Fire

[The Snark]

"Highness. Lord. I am Sadie 27425, Speaker for the Group of Seventeen; this is my wife Mary-Anne, of the same title. Our congratulations on your union." Once again, the two Loop-born emissaries bow in unison, their movements synchronized with the ease of two people who have spent most of their lives together. But as soon as the formal niceties are concluded...

"Congratulations!" Mary-Anne is beaming behind her veil, and it shows in her voice. "You two make such a lovely couple. I'm happy for the both of you - I'm sure you'll do well together, whenever your duties permit you to be together, that is. Ah, but today's not the day to dwell on such things. Thank you for your invitation. Sadie, do you have..." The taller woman has already produced a round cloth-wrapped package, large enough that she holds it with both hands. She unfolds the cloth to reveal a glass sphere about eight inches in diameter. Not quite transparent, the interior is visibly warped and studded with tiny metallic flecks; some trick of the design causes it to catch the light oddly, refracting and magnifying the sun's rays until it glows like a miniature star in its own right.

"This is a suncatcher. Our home isn't blessed with abundant resources, but if there's one thing we have more than enough of, it's sand. We make these to remind ourselves to cherish clear skies and daylight while we can. It's best displayed in direct sunlight, of course, but firelight will do too; it's not as bright, but I've always felt the motion adds something to the effect."

"It'll last longer that way, too," Sadie adds, her stiff formality easing in the face of her partner's enthusiasm. "Heat can warp the glass over time, and the inner layers need to be angled very precisely to catch light properly; most of them won't last more than a couple years if kept outdoors. But that is where they're most striking, so..." She shrugs. "It's up to you how to keep it. I hope you like it, either way."

[volthawk]

Eighbris grins and nods in response to Artavasdes' statement. Traditions...right. That sort of thing...it's something most people are going to assume exists within Eilif Dhaoine's knights, as they do elsewhere. Well, that's good - the old man gave them the title for legitimacy like that, so just run with it. "I'd be honoured to accept the invitation in the future, circumstances allowing. That does sound rather interesting."

[Frostwander]

On 3/2/2024 at 3:34 PM, volthawk said:

This whole thing is...a little outside of the norm for them, but nonetheless they try their best to put in a good showing for the Dhaoine, politely accepting the Queen's welcome and taking their seats to watch the wedding unfold. In the reception, Eighbris takes an opportunity to talk to the couple when the opportunity presents itself. "Congratulations are in order. Good ceremony - it's funny how many similar elements crop up in these kinds of things, despite the time and physical distance all our countries have had until recently, isn't it? But I digress. I'm Eighbris, one of Eilif Dhaoine's knights, and...well, our gift is already with your people - the way the Dhaoine see it, it is important that a couple is able to protecy each other in times of physical peril just as much as in times of social strife or emotional uncertainty, so our gift is a matched pair of chitincraft weapons, one for each of you. Naturally, security had concerns about us coming to the ceremony and reception so armed, so they'll be waiting for you when all this is over."

Princess Monite, her arm draped through that of her now-husband Artavasdes, dips in a curtsey to the knights. "Thank you, knights of Eilif Dhaoine, for your kind words and your gift. We have seen examples of your people's chitincraft before; they are formidable in both appearance and use. We look forward to practicing with them together." This comes as no idle promise, either - both spouses already have something of a reputation as students of weaponry and military tactics.

 

On 3/6/2024 at 2:57 AM, The Snark said:

"Highness. Lord. I am Sadie 27425, Speaker for the Group of Seventeen; this is my wife Mary-Anne, of the same title. Our congratulations on your union." Once again, the two Loop-born emissaries bow in unison, their movements synchronized with the ease of two people who have spent most of their lives together. But as soon as the formal niceties are concluded...

"Congratulations!" Mary-Anne is beaming behind her veil, and it shows in her voice. "You two make such a lovely couple. I'm happy for the both of you - I'm sure you'll do well together, whenever your duties permit you to be together, that is. Ah, but today's not the day to dwell on such things. Thank you for your invitation. Sadie, do you have..." The taller woman has already produced a round cloth-wrapped package, large enough that she holds it with both hands. She unfolds the cloth to reveal a glass sphere about eight inches in diameter. Not quite transparent, the interior is visibly warped and studded with tiny metallic flecks; some trick of the design causes it to catch the light oddly, refracting and magnifying the sun's rays until it glows like a miniature star in its own right.

"This is a suncatcher. Our home isn't blessed with abundant resources, but if there's one thing we have more than enough of, it's sand. We make these to remind ourselves to cherish clear skies and daylight while we can. It's best displayed in direct sunlight, of course, but firelight will do too; it's not as bright, but I've always felt the motion adds something to the effect."

"It'll last longer that way, too," Sadie adds, her stiff formality easing in the face of her partner's enthusiasm. "Heat can warp the glass over time, and the inner layers need to be angled very precisely to catch light properly; most of them won't last more than a couple years if kept outdoors. But that is where they're most striking, so..." She shrugs. "It's up to you how to keep it. I hope you like it, either way."

"Speaker Sadie, Speaker Mary-Anne, thank you. It is a pleasure to have you here to witness us today. While my husband and I understand we may oft be apart in our distant worlds," Monite glances to Artavasdes with only a miniscule hint of uncertainty, "we do look forward to the time we will spend together, as often as possible."

On viewing the suncatcher, the princess' eyes widen in genuine delight. "This is a lovely gift, thank you." Taking it in both hands, she holds it up, viewing the flickering of the chandelier through the glass and metal decoration. Turning it, the refracted light plays across herself and her spouse, sparkling off their finery in turn. "We shall definitely find a suitable place to display this. And if it is impermanent, perhaps we shall acquire another in the future. The crafts of Veehra are fascinating. Thank you for sharing this one with us."

[Rolepgeek]

The Reception

---

When an opening is presented, Meifeng seizes on it, bowing - very slightly - to the young newlyweds as she greets them. "May the winds of fortune blow your way forevermore, Princess. And may the sky's fire lead you to glory, young Lord. To suit this auspicious occasion, I bring gifts."

Her nephew brings over a small package, which is revealed when the pirate queen turns to draw the finely-embellished pistol from it's holster - and flip it around to personally present to Princess Monite, grip-first. One does not gift a prize of this sort impersonally. Meifeng's expression is studiously managed, almost severe, as she explains.

"The Wise Woman's Rapier. It's had other names, but I thought this fitting for you, Lady Ebonne. You are the first to receive this while it's previous owner yet lives in nearly four decades, as I am given to understand." The implications of the latter were more than apparent from the slight lilt in her tone. As was the quality of the weapon's manufacture: at its core, it was a magnetically accelerated flechette pistol with multiple firing modes, capable of basic interfacing with certain types of explosive round to adjust for target size and armor. Around that basic core, however, there was an old and well taken care of grip made of genuine, stained Sansarite mahogany engraved with a coiling dragon - impressive only by warrant of its age, dating to before the raising of the Elect - in addition to a finely inlaid decoration of curling foxgloves that seem to crawl up the barrel, which appear by all rights to be made from the exotic metals of the Bironians. The holster, given next, is of a very finely worked black leather no-one outside of Badal were likely to be familiar with, and which would prove, if anyone sought to test, to be completely unreactive to most acids, and imprinted with an unassuming diamond pattern.

"And you, Lord Ebonne," Meifeng says, black-sclera'd gaze snapping to meet that of the groom, "might have this - The Cunning Man's Farewell. I'm afraid its history is less storied, but the quality is no less for it." The vibroknife is, of course, inactive when as she hands the weapon handle-first to the young man. It has a surprising heft to it for it's size, and were the blade - twice long as her hand - active, it could shear straight through the thick of her own armored cybernetic leg without real difficulty. The entire blade appears to be made of the same metal as the inlay on the pistol, and etched with a pattern of blooming starbursts. The guard includes a small plasma flow projector that makes the blade capable of repulsing the charged monofilaments of Mekhalan fencing tradition, as well as protecting the wielder's hands. The sheath the young man receives, of course, is a perfect match for the holster his wife had just been gifted.

The Captain of the Black Cloud Coalition smiles politely at the pair. "I hope they serve you well, and only at times of your choosing, young royals."

Edited March 10 by Rolepgeek (see edit history)