City of Cresthall

Crispy saw Hatt, and stood up pretending to look around in the garden. Suddenly, she launched at him and got him in a headlock - giving him a rough noogie.

"HI HATT! Don't you look adorable!!" She said in the most adorable voice she could muster.

Bennett will show up in the garden. He is wearing his new breastplate, it looks extra shiny. He has on his normal pants, but clean. His hair is neatly combed over and his beard is trimmed. "Good morning, everyone."

Gyaaaaaaaagetoffgetoffgetoffgetoff says Hatt, bursting in a fit of laughter.  Gasping for breath, he collapses to the ground when she finally lets him go.  He looks up at her; Thank you, he says simply.  And then, now help  me up before I get dirt on my clothes and Ashley tells us both off.

Crispy helps Hatt up, smiling like an older sister to a little brother, "Well..she'll tell YOU off." she says jokingly, implying to her relationship.

She nods to Bennett, saying, "You..wore your breastplate."

He taps it, "I don't have any fancy shirts." He chuckles.

Crispy nods slowly, a combination of pity, and wonder. Why didn't Bennett just...buy one? Perhaps I kicked him a bit too hard. Jostled more than just his nuts.

AShley stays fairly quiet as everyone slowly arrives. She appears nervous and anxious. Once Karra and Gasp arrive, we can get started.

Crispy sits and vibrates with excitement.

As the time draws closer, Bennett glances at Crispy and winks. He mutters an arcane word and waves his hand in the air tracing arcane sigils, causing the neck tattoo to shine bright. In a flash his breastplate is gone and he has fancier, better looking clothes on. "You really think I'd show up to a formal event in a breastplate? I know I'm a soldier but I'm not uncivilized." He chuckles to himself.

((Used Mask of Many Faces to cast Disguise Self))

Crispy wiggles a finger at Bennett, as if to say "Auuuuwwww, you GOT ME!"

Gasp eventually flutters his way over. He is wearing his half-plate, but he stayed up quite late making sure it was oiled and polished to the best of his abilities....since he doesn't have any nice clothing whatsoever. His feathers fluffy and shiny. His boots are polished, and he has his shield, all new and bejeweled, because nice equals shiny for the bird person. He wears it all proudly!

(Sorry for the low post frequency. Life's been busy and trying to catch up on things.)

The prior night

Karra will evaluate the diamonds he has managed to work on, then hands Hatt the nicer of the two. "Here, now no need to have to find one to buy, yes?" He says. 

Upon being asked to go to a more formal outing, he attempts to work out what sort of thing this would mean to the folk above ground. That night, he takes one of the opals, polishes it up, and places it onto the metal band of a ring he has on his finger.

The following morning

Karra arrives a little later than the others (for ease of convenience since my post is a little late). He is wearing freshly cleaned clothes, but they are not particularly fancy. Being bald, he can't style his hair in any way, and his expression is still in that somewhat frowning appearance he always has. His adventuring kit is stowed away (inside a bag of holding) which he keeps strapped to his back, save for one dagger that is strapped to the side of his boot.

The prior night, Hatt offers Karra 500 gold for the two diamonds (I assume that's two diamonds each worth 300 GP?) from the party funds, though not everyone has contributed yet.  Please take this; I only hold these so that I can help everyone if something terrible happens.  We should all share in their cost, I think.

The following day, and wearing an almost identical breastplate to Bennett's, purchased in the same shop at the same time, Hatt overhears Bennett and Crispy talking about how civilised folk would not wear such a thing.  It's a perfectly respectable piece of armour, very shiny and suitable for formal occasions, he thinks to himself. 

He considers picking up some mud and throwing it at Bennett's new clothes, but remembers that the Goddess is watching and would not approve of such behaviour in the grounds of a sacred cathedral. Plus it would probably just pass through the illusion, and might also upset Ashley, he thinks.  Instead, he makes a mental note that he owes Bennett one dose of payback.

As the everyone arrives just before the dawn breaks, Ashley takes Crispy's hand and pulls her up and in front of the others. She pulls out a small pouch and a box, the one she received the previous night. 

She takes the pouch and pours it into her hand. Silver powder lay gleaming in her open palm. She begins to speak in Celestial, a prayer to the god Lathandar. As she speaks, the words ring heavy, but melodic. the power in the words is noticeable and Ashley is casting a spell. The silver powder begins to shine bright as her spell reaches its crescendo and the dawn breaks upon them. With a word of ringing power she flings the powder into the air and instead of falling, it explodes in a burst of golden light and swirls around the 2 of them.

Ashley holds the box out towards Crispy. My dearest Cora, I have promised to stay with you, to protect you from all threats. No spell will harm you, not blade will strike you down, no phantom will delight in your torment. For i promise not to leave you, for any reason, till the end of my days. I promise to be your shield when you are weak, and to light your path if ever you get lost.

Ashley open the box, and presents a pair of polished platinum rings. Each engraved in Elvish.  These rings signify our bond. Here in the light of new beginnings, i ask that you bond with me, and be mine, and mine alone, Cora Perkins

The glowing powder around them hums with power for all to see and Ashley motions to place one of the rings on Crispy's finger.

"What are y-" was Crispy's first words as Ashley took her hand, and then it dawned on her like a falling building.

Oh my Hells. She's asking you to marry her. Say something you idiot.

"Ashley, I.." she smiled, choked a bit on her words. Her eyes watered. She wasn't used to being loved, trusted, affectionate in this way. Not after so much pain, anger, and abuse.

Saaaaay something you idiot. Think fast. She's looking at you. Don't leave her hanging.

"Ashley, I love you. I promise to be the fire in your heart, the strength when you need it, the voice when you can't speak, and when times get tough - the arms to carry you. Ever since I met you, I knew I liked you, but..this journey has been so great for both of us - I can't believe, after everything you know about me, that you'd WANT to be with me. The truth is, you compliment me in ways I can't even describe, and you are so strong in the things i'm just terrible in. The way you look at me, they way we share things, the little things you do simply drive me insane with love. Yes. I want to be with you forever. I love you."

Crispy extends her fingers and gladly, willingly, and excitedly accepts the beautiful elven ring. When it's on her finger, she grabbed Ashley by the shoulders, pulled her in, and kissed her the way she deserved to be kissed, and stayed that way for a long time, not caring who was watching.

Somewhere deep in the bowels of Hell, something stirred and became even more angry and vengeful.

Ashley gladly accepts the kiss. She returns it and holds it as her spell weaves its magic around them. she breaks long enough to say There are two rings silly, one for you and one for me.

The spell flairs and flashes and as the dawn continues to wax strong, The silver powder flashes one last time, completing the ceremony.

"Oh, I know." Crispy says, laughing between the kiss. "I just wanted an excuse to kiss you again." She smiled, and at the moment her world shrank to a very personal space, and nothing on the Planes could make her sad, or make her want to leave Ashley's warmth and love.

She carefully put the ring on Ashley’s finger, and asked her what the elven words meant.

She took a moment to look at the magic all around her, and not even two thousand years would make her forget the moment.

Present

Karra watches on in quiet. While he appreciates that his companions are having a heartfelt moment, he seems more intrigued by the working done in the rings that bind them. 

The Night Before

"Hmm, take as a gift, yes?" Karra says, thrusting the diamond into Hatt's hands. "No need for payment, this one to show my work is good, yes?"

Ashley smiles brightly in the glory of the Dawn's light, The light of herdirty, the God of the morning and new beggining. She explains as Cora places the matching platinum band on her finger. Its elvish. It's a new word made just for us. It's a combination of our names and as of yet has no pronunciation in either language. It, along with the rings themselves, is a symbol of our union.

Crispys face said everything that needed to be said. Her heart was nearly bursting with emotion and joy. The wonder of the ring, the tender moment of Ashley’s words, and the love they shared for each other couldn’t be more obvious and apparent. She stood there looking at their rings and holding her hand, and smiled at her lovingly, as if nothing else in the world mattered anymore.