2018-10-23: Until Then, and Forever After
- Log: Until Then, and Forever After
- Cast: Riesenlied, Noeline, Lydia Seren
- Where: New Petra
- Date: 23rd October 2018
- Summary: Riesenlied falls asleep at her workbench after creating the paired rings, and...
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied wouldn't really be... Riesenlied if she didn't overdo it in some way -- but when people left her to her jewelcrafting, she spent a couple more hours absorbed in her work until the sun came down and...
... well, suffice to say, the Hyadean is dozing off on her work desk, having fallen asleep unintentionally at some point. Her arms are crossed in front of her as she dozes off tiredly, though a set of sparkling rings are in front of her with only a minimal amount of cruft and leftovers involved. They shimmer with a light of emotion, reverberating a soft affection that she inherently feels in her heart...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
The light of the rings shifts slightly, glinting a little as their colour pulses; the reason for the slight shift only becomes clear when there's a light rap on the door of the workshop, and a voice calling from outside. "Riese? Are you alright in there?" asks Noeline, huffing out a breath as she starts to nudge the door open. "Honestly... I don't mind if you're busy with something for the day, but at least show up for dinner."
When there's no immediate answer, the Crimson Notble huffs softly to herself, and nudges the door open fully with a foot to walk inside. "Really, even when I started to get worried, all anyone would do was snicker at me for some reason or other--" Whether she clams up due to Riesenlied being visibly asleep or due to the twin sparkle on the workbench, it's not clear, but she does stop dead for fear of waking Riese up.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia is still wounded from her battle with with Lady Harken and Siegfried but her other arm has regrown itself even if she's still missing a leg from about the knee down. Lydia is swinging about on her crutches, trying to get used to shifting her mass to compensate for the wounds, but she hasn't quite got it.
Lydia spots Noeline rapping on the door to where Riesenlied was working. Lydia frowns in thought as she scientifically thinks about the two possible outcomes of why Riesenlied is missing dinner.
UNIVERSE A: Riesenlied is in trouble and needs help! Better stay with Noeline! UNIVERSE B: Something cute is about to happen! Better stay with Noeline!
Analysis complete, Lydia thinks, as she hop-swings over to mother.
"Heeey," Lydia whispers from behind Noeline. "Is everything okay?" She can't get a good look since Noeline is still pretty close to the doorway entrance.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied, for once, doesn't stir to wakefulness even as Noeline pipes up as she nudges the door open with her foot. There's a soft, tender dozing sound as her horns floop up and down at a deeply leisurely pace, like it just... does that when she's asleep. Perhaps when she's not on a bed, at least.
The ferroflora is stationed in its jar just beside the rings, though it visibly looks like it's surrendered a number of its fruit, so to speak. Which makes the unmistakable gleam of Hyadean silver all the more noticeable, the way the rings are constructed; symmetrical, forming a full heart with the gleam of a (smaller) jewel very similar to the Dragon's Tear -- which rests on the desk beside her.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline is not stupid when it comes to romance, at least when it comes to understanding it in a narrative sense. She's read enough dime novels and done enough people-watching to know what paired jewelry signifies. It doesn't take her more than a couple of moments to spot the sight of the weakened ferrofluid flower and the distinctly familiar shine of the gems atop the rings - and from that, it's not hard to work out how much of herself Riesenlied has poured into making them.
But actually having it happen to her is still something else entirely, a series of firsts for her and Riese. All of it together leaves her stock-still for a moment, her mouth hanging open in astonishment as feeling wells up inside of her. When she swallows, it's almost shaky; Noeline is not one to cry, but she can feel tears beading at the corner of her eyes. Ever so carefully, so as not to wake Riese, she paces forwards--
--and nearly jolts out of her skin at Lydie's whisper, making a distinctly un-Noeline noise of surprise as sheer instinct propels her forward. In the split second before her mind manages to catch up with the situation, she's torn between protecting Riesenlied and protecting Riesenlied's work, decides to try for both, trips over her own feet, and ends up in a rather ungainly pile next to the workbench.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia's mouth drops open in shock as Noeline takes a tumble. Oh no! She has to protect Noeline and Riesenlied! More specifically, she has to protect Noeline's pride. She takes in a deep breath and goes, "Uwaaaaa-" but still whispering it so as not to wake up Riesenlied as she throws herself to the floor also in an ungainly pile intentionally so as to protect...A MOTHER'S PRIDE.
Her mind catches up to something she barely caught a glimpse of in this process, but for the moment she has unleashed her own moement upon the parents.
Of course there's still a faint thoomp noise from all this.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"Hyaa--"
Riesenlied finally jolts up in that way fictional people do, a sleep bubble positively going 'pop!' as she starts up and exclaims, "I--I'm awake, I'm awake--" and stares towards the pile of Noeline and Lydia beside her and--
--and stammering, "Noeline, Lydie--"
--and then looking forward to the rings and suddenly turning red again. Oh no, caught red-handed! Scale-handed? It's not quite certain, but she looks between the rings and between them as she stammers, "Are you all right? Sorry, I fell asleep doing..."
A pause.
"Doing... um-- um, this," she's suddenly flummoxed and lost for words again. Horns are at maximum alert, though!!
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's pride is... well, the way she bolts back up to her knees and starts helping Lydie up in double time suggests it might not be fully intact, but at least any damage is shared between them. It gives the spy a chance to stammer as she tries to find the words; she looks and sounds a little younger all of a sudden, her usual grin and streetwise nature temporarily blown away.
"Ah-- no, I'm alright-- are you alright?" she turns the question around to present it to Lydie, before her mood swings a little in low-key panic as she suddenly huffs at Riesenlied. "Honestly, what have I told you about working yourself to exhaustion?!"
She catches herself immediately afterwards, and you can just see the way in which she does her best to compose herself, a hand going to her chest as she lets out a long breath. "... Riese..." she mutters, her voice softer this time and thick with emotion, and reaches up to take the other Hyadean's hand in hers.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia could use the help. Noeline can help Lydia gather her crutches and get back up in short order. Judging from the silver tints in her cheeks she has some idea of what's going on.
It makea scientific sense that they would be talking about this now. She thinks about Siegfried, his clear intentions to maintain this wqr to the end even with Mother's strangeness.
She says, "I'm amazing, yeah." to Noeline, smiling faintly before looking to Riesenlied. "Yeah what did mom say about you working yourself to exhaustion??"
But then that blush grows more powerful and she holds her hands together tightly. She has trouble commenting further but then she starts to turn.
"I'm gonna tell Mikaia and Janey!" Oh noooooooooooo!
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied holds her hands up in capitulation the moment Noeline and Lydia both grump at her about working herself to exhaustion, stammering out a very meek, "I'm sorry, I just-- I just wanted to absolutely finish this before anything else..." She sags for a moment longer, looking to Noeline's hand as she takes hers and tilts her head bashfully.
"... Noeline..." she whispers, closing her eyes and feeling a bit of tearing well up as well inside of her--
--though she's interrupted as she turns redder to go, "L-Lydie! Wah--" as she starts holding her hand out, but she's not exactly sure whether to stop her or not. They should know, of course, but...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline can only help so much, partially because she can't imagine letting go of Riesenlied's hand at the moment, and partially because a dim impulse at the back of her mind keeps her on her knees, well aware of how important this is. She does try her best, at least, and manages to help get Lydie upright before she balks at the girl's cry.
"I-- now that I know what's going on, I'm /quite/ sure they already know," she grumps severely, a blush clear across her face. She does try to push past the bashfulness, but her gaze tracks back towards Riesenlied to meet her eyes, and it becomes clear there's no point in even trying to hide the colour on her cheeks.
Ever so slowly, she reaches up with her free hand to take one of the rings, turning it over in her palm with infinite care and watching the light play across the gem and mix with its own internal glow. With her speech robbed again, she can only squeeze Riesenlied's hand in hers - but eventually she manages to mutter something tiny to herself, and shifts to bring herself to one knee, rather than two.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia is already out the door how can she do this on crutches before she stops and turns around to look at Riesenlied, then back to Noeline. "They already know?" Lydia asks, biting at her lip. "Are you sure??" She leans on one of the crutches and starta tapping her foot rapidly against the floor. "Nnmmm...." She struggles before giving up and crying out tearfully.
"They're so beautiflu I'm so happy for youuuu!" Lydia manages with big globby tears in her eyes. "What are Hyadean weddings like? Are they pretty? What do they call them??"
The only reason she hasn't rushed back in because it's possible Mikaia and Janey already know, but even so she's glancing outside to see if she can catch a glimpse of them.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied's mouth gapes very softly open, whimpering a little at the prospect of Janey and Mikaia already knowing. Which, it possibly already was very much a possibility given how unsubtle Riesenlied is about her efforts; the two kids were probably involved in getting Noeline /away/ from realising what's up until Riese could finish.
"N-Noeline-- er--"
Since this is a light-hearted scene, Riesenlied's horns have artistic license to well up as if it's stuffed full of hot air and eventually /explode/ into an upwards puft of steam when Noeline lowers herself to a knee before her.
"E-eh-- eh-- wait-- um--! Not like-- I'm not ready--" Riesenlied manages to blurt out as her fantasy of what this moment may have been like gets interrupted by reality; then Lydia natters about what Hyadean weddings are like and...
"... I... don't know, honestly. We... don't exactly have any such customs. People who have bonded together... um, there was one involving the coliseum--" then she interrupts herself before she can ruin the moment, clearing her throat.
And indeed, Mikaia and Janey are probably going 'jiii--' around the corner, giggling...
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline's mouth - and indeed the rest of her - wobble in response to Riesenlied's flustering, as she nearly pitches to one side in the way in which her partner surprises her. "H-how can you not be ready after making these?!" she whines, puffing to herself as she clasps her hand around the ring in her palm, treating it gently but not wishing to let go of it for a second as she drops to a whisper. "They're--... they are everything I could ask for, and then a great deal besides," she decides quietly.
Lydie's squealing give her a chance to pause for breath again before she too overheats, and leaves her chuckling in the wake of the other Hyadean's comments. "... suffice it to say, our race has never exactly been the sort for something like this. At least... not until now."
Looking back up to Riesenlied, she sighs fondly, and briefly picks at her hair as she does her best to marshal together the words. "... you know... I was always assuming I would be the one to make this into some kind of grand gesture," she chuckles again, shaking her head. "But you have always managed to surprise me, to sweep me up with your words and your feelings and your hopes and draw me back to your side time and time again."
Noeline pauses, her face as crimson as the rest of her; she has to work through a bashful moment of her own. "We may have a rocky road ahead of us, but... I would not change a single thing. I do not regret a single thing. No matter what happens, I will be at your side, offering you my love and my strength. And-- it is my hopes that you will accept this promise going forward, as well, so-- if you would please--" she starts to falter, not sure how to really put the last part properly.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia looks over to the giggling gals over there. She does her own fictional character behavior which is have a huge sweatdrop dip down at the side of her face. It's not even well animated to save on budget. Still, seeing as they already know, she doesn't really have to RUN AWAY RUN AWAY so she steps back inward. They'll run in when they're up to bother Riesenlied further.
Lydia thinks about how she used to have red blushes too, ever briefly, before adding, "It's not too late to do a grand gesture!" a bit too quickly. Maybe she always wanted to see a big gesture. "You can do a big gesture if you want!"
She listens to how they used to do it, as in they didn't really use to do it really except kind of one time.
She looks down. "I mean... if it's a new tradition... You can do it any way you want."
She wobbles back and forth, still silver tinted.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"... these rings..." Riesenlied manages to settle down for long enough to whisper, feeling her eyes tear up rather well now. She closes her eyes, and expresses, "They possess a part of me in them. So... no matter how far we are, no matter if we have to walk different paths sometime... you'll have me with you."
She pauses for a moment, clinging tighter to that hand and blinking a few times as a tear looses itself down her cheek.
"Forever and ever. I... I don't even have all the words I want..."
She swallows again, smiling vividly as she expresses, "You will have it. In sickness, in strength; in times of weal and woe; I will love you, for all eternity..."
There's a moment of silence between them, but as she listens to Lydia, she stammers, lowering her head and hesitates for a moment. "... o-oh, but-- um-- I did..."
She reddens further. "I do... want to see what kind of grand gesture you would make."
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline actually has no good explanation for why she has red blushes rather than silver. As a fullblooded Metal Demon, she probably shouldn't - but then, she was built to walk amongst humans as a spy, so perhaps it's simply part of the disguise that has now become her identity along the way. She demonstrates the ability again as she balks, huffing softly first at Lydia and then at Riesenlied.
"O-of course! Don't think this will be the end of anything! This is just the engagement, after all!" she insists, nearly planting a hand on her hip were it not the way she's clasped Riesenlied's and has something far more important to do with them.
She sobers after a moment, her brow furrowing in determination; there's a new strength shining in her eyes. "... once everything is over, I shall make up for every instant. It will be the grandest gesture I can possibly manage," her voice quavers a little, and she sucks in a breath as she feels her own tears start to mirror those of her beloved. "... until then - and forever after - I will cherish this. I will love you."
She dips her head a little, swallowing back a lump in her throat - and rather than risk giving away the tremble in her voice, she instead turns Riesenlied's hand over in hers, placing the first ring on her finger.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
Lydia Seren's hands immediately fly up to her cheeks, steven universe stars in her eyes, when Riesenlied admits she wants to have the grand gesture. Though honestly it's probably a bit of both.
She says, "I have been waiting for this moment all my life." She says in a hoarse whisper even though that's arguably completely impossible for that to actually be true. Her eyes widen suddenly as she says, "Oh!! I should... I mean... If you want. I could uh. " She gives the world's vaguest of shrugs. "I mean, if you want..... I could uhhh--take a photograph of this moment. Or I guess any moment. That you want. With the power of photography." Her eyebrows shoot up too. "We could make a wedding album!!! And a scrapbook!!!!"
She starts hopping up and down on her feet. "Noeline can you hold that pose for...like... three minutes?? I can go fetch the camera /right now/."
This is the wild west so the camera is probably actually one of those big bulky things that look good on the Tool Screen.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
Riesenlied, at the very least, has a very easy excuse as to why she blushes red, Tainted blood and all. Ever the almost-human, as the less generous of her brethren would be quick to point out to her.
She smiles very sweetly as Noeline regains that streetwise pomp she loves her so much for; there's a luxurious smile as she suggests, taking into account what Lydia said:
"I know the Fereshte wedding customs. I... wanted to wear one, for... that day," her cheeks redden further as she remarks, "That... is part of me, after all. I wanted it to be part of our ceremony." She swallows faintly and-- her eyes widen further, a little gasp as that ring is slipped onto her hand...
"... it's-- every bit as warm and wonderful as I imagined it being," she whispers with a sob. "Oh, Noeline--"
She blinks a few times as Lydia runs off. "E-eh??" And then suddenly from down the hallway: "We got you Lyds!!" as she triumphantly holds up the camera because apparently Janey is pretty good at pre-planning things?? Who would've known. Mikaia's giggling to herself beside her too.
<Pose Tracker> Noeline has posed.
Noeline gives both Lydia and the children a bit of a dirty look, her cheeks puffed out for a moment as she frowns back in their direction. "--not likely! These things have to be spontaneous! The whole thing is lost if I'm sitting here for half an hour!" she blusters, huffing out a breath as she uses it as a chance to ensure she doesn't break out into further tears. It doesn't exactly work, because she's having to blink them back herself, feeling something wet run down her cheek.
She can't help the terribly fond smile as she looks back to Riesenlied, staring at where her partner's hand waits in her own. "... of course it is," she answers softly, the outside world briefly blocked out. "With you involved, how could it not be warm and wonderful? ... I... hope you might teach me some more of the Fereshte's customs. Your customs. ... it would only be the right way to respond to this."
She pauses, and then-- offers her own hand forwards for Riesenlied in turn.
<Pose Tracker> Lydia Seren has posed.
"Yes!" Lydia says. "You're the camera queens, mistresses of the Photographsphere!" She takes the camera, hugs them both with one hand, and rushes back to Riesenlied's room as quickly as she can! Considering she's on crutches, that's not TOO quickly but since Janey was already prepared it's going to not be too long before she rushes in.
"Heeere we goo--waaaaaaah!"
The 'waaaaah' happens because Lydia forgot her missing leg, lost balance, and is now tumbling forward.
JUST by coincidence, the camera tumbles from her hand, not far enough to cause damage, but in juuuust the right way that it hits the button on its side and there's a FLASH and a photograph is taken of Riesenlied and Noeline, whatever their position happens to be... IN THAT MOMENT!
Well at least it's spontaneous.
<Pose Tracker> Riesenlied has posed.
"I'll show you, and teach you... all of it," Riesenlied whispers smilingly towards Noeline. She clings tighter onto that hand, with the ring she's poured so much of herself into now on her ring finger, moving forward softly to peck her on the cheek.
Before looking towards Lydia with a very soft smile that still manages to be somewhat photogenic even as Lydia trips and she gasps to go-- "A-are you all right??"
FLASH
MANY YEARS LATER
Riesenlied rocks softly on her chair, draped in soft Fereshte grandmotherly robes as she holds up a photograph as a mysteriously unfaced child that looks like she could be the protagonist of DCMUSH2 clambers onto her lap. "That's right, we took a very candid picture on that day..." she croons very gently. "Fufu..."