[WEDDING] Various - At Last the Moment Has Arrived (Part 2)
Zeph
OOC: Ceremony Playlist
((Holosuite 1, Deck 4, USS Chin’toka))
((Ceremony Room, Harbour View Inn))
{{Time Index: 239810.31, Evening}}
The glimmer in CD’s eyes was noticeable, and the derpy, idiotic cheshire grin on his face remained in place even as Lael made her way down the aisle. Chythar was never one for standing on ceremony, but his new mother-in-law was more experienced at these things than he was. The last time he was involved in a wedding, he stood beside Cory as best man. Now, it had come full circle Cory was standing beside him at his own wedding. Despite the fact he hadn’t worn his dress-whites in a while, he was grateful that Carter was a decent tailor in his own right.
Mei’konda continued to stand quietly near the front of the room and the Groom, wearing his dress-whites and watching contentedly as Lael began to be walked down the aisle by her father. He straightened up slightly, squaring his shoulders.
DeVeau / Levinson / Serala / Snow: Responses
Stoyer / Tan / Taybrim: Responses
The moment was here. It was her turn to walk through those doors and that trip down the aisle was the only thing that stood between her and the man who would be her husband. A watery smile crossed Lael’s lips as she tried not for the first time since entering the holosuite to keep from ruining her makeup. Aldek remained silent beside her, waiting for her first step onto that runner. Drawing in a deep breath, she moved into the doorway and began the walk toward her future.
A couple of steps in, she dared to lift her head, the view only slightly impaired by the veil that covered her face. When she saw him, her breath caught in her throat. Had he always looked that regal in his dress whites? She saw his expression change when he finally turned to look in her direction. Her grip on her father’s arm tightened as she again struggled to exercise restraint and just enjoy the moment.
He became her whole universe as everything else around her faded. Her entire focus was on him and every minute shift in his expressions. It seemed to take an eternity for her to reach the end of the aisle and, for a long moment, she stood waiting with her parents for what would come next.
Chythar felt like nothing else existed. For the longest of moments, he watched as she made her way down the aisle with Aldek. He knew full well what he was about to do, and he was the happiest man in the universe. Under the eyes of their shared deity, performed by their best Caitian friend, they were about to profess their love for one another in the most public of spectacles.
Holding the small book in which he’d recorded his lines, Mei carefully flipped the cover open, let his eyes flick down to the page, and began to read. He wanted to make sure he got all of the details correct of the Earth religion under which Chythar and Lael had chosen to marry.
He knew it was important to them. The religion was entirely foreign to him, and he was grateful for the book, for it’d ensure that he’d be able to recall all of the details.
Mei’konda: I’d like to begin by welcomiing everyone and thaanking each and every one of you for takiing your valuable leave time to be here for these two officers on this most happy of days. You’ve all been inviited to be here because you represent someone important in the individual and collective lives of Chythar and Lael.
She smiled, ducking her head for a moment before returning her gaze to Chythar’s. They’d been looking forward to this day for so long. Though he’d proposed a year ago, it felt like she’d been waiting a lifetime for them to get here.
CD stepped up to Lael, Aldek and Adylynn and gave a half bow, the formality of asking permission to marry her implied in his action. Though such a simple gesture wasn’t in the script, he hoped his new in-laws would forgive the slight creative liberty.
Mei’konda: Who gives this woman today?
Desai & A. Rosek: We do.
She was aware of little else beyond her father pulling her hand from his arm and placing it in Chythar’s. Almost as though she was in a dream, she felt him pulling her closer.
Rosek: ::smiles:: ~ We’re here. Finally. ~
Skyfire: :: Grinning like an idiot. :: ~ About time, no? ~
Mei’konda: Lael and Chythar, please join hands.
She lowered the hand that had been cradling his face moments before and grabbed his hand. Smiling, she pressed a tender kiss to the palm through the fabric of the veil before lacing their fingers together.
Mei’konda: Hand in hand you enter marriage, haand in hand you step out in faith. The hand you freely give to each other is both the strongest and the most tender paart of your body. In the years ahead you will need both strength and tenderness. Be fiirm in your commitment. Don't let your grip become weak. And yet, be flexiible as you go through change. Don't let your hold become intoleraable. Strength and tenderness, firm commitment and flexibility, of such is a marriage made, hand in hand.
Squeezing his hand, she listened patiently as Mei spoke, taking in the pure poetry of it. She wasn’t normally one for sappy romance, but something about the gentleness of the man whose hand she held brought that out in her. With him, she was softer and more kind. Her quick temper often failed her with him and he humbled her in ways that she hadn’t expected.
Mei’konda: Two close family friends will now perform a reading of 1 Corinthians 13:4–8 from the Bible, a Human religiious text.
Kincade: Tha gràdh foighidneach, tha gràdh coibhneil. Chan eil farmad aige, chan eil e a ’bòstadh, chan eil e moiteil…
While Elina spoke the verse from Corinthians, Rebecca translated it into Federation standard between Elina’s pauses.
Hollendale (translating between Elina’s pauses): Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud…
It was beautiful in either language, but something about the Gaelic translation seemed fitting. A smile turned up the corners of her lips as she heard Chythar’s brogue as though he were reading the words to her. She’d only really learned Gaelic for Elina, but was finding a whole new appreciation for it at this moment.
Elina’s brogue mimicked his own, and was perhaps deeper than his. She probably used it more often, being from Scotland herself. CD admitted to himself that he hadn’t actually read the text she was reciting all the way through, but at least part of it did sound familiar. As Rebecca translated, it was beautiful in either language. He smiled softly at the beautiful woman standing next to him.
Mei’konda: The groom’s sister will now sing a rendition of a classic Terran song in Esperanto in honor of the bride’s Al-Leyan heritage.
As Cailyn began to sing Sen iu kondiĉo, a soft laugh passed Lael’s lips. Classic indeed. Shaking the thoughts from her head, she focused on the lyrics, appreciating just how closely they mirrored her feelings for and her commitment to the man in front of her. She smiled, mouthing the words in Federation Standard.
Rosek: ~ Come just as you are to me, Don't need apologies, Know that you are worthy, I'll take your bad days with your good, Walk through the storm, I would, I do it all because I love you, I love you… ~
Mei’konda: As we stand here under the eyes of God, let us again acknowledge the seriiousness of this commitment. Marriage is a profound undertaaking, and one that demands deep respect. As the Human Bible reminds them in Ecclesiastes, with loving compaanionship they may overcome any obstaacle:
Mei flipped a page, and continued.
Mei’konda: Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their laabor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But piity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how caan one keep warm alone? With this in mind, I would like to invite the Groom and Bride to share the vows they have written.
Lael was tempted to ask Alora for the PADD she’d given the woman in case she got nervous and forgot what she planned to say. Instead, she drew in a breath and exhaled it slowly, smiling at her love as she stroked over the back of his hand with her thumb. She took a moment to gather her thoughts before diving in.
Rosek: I remember the moment that I saw you for the first time. Really saw you. We’d been serving together for a bit before that, but I didn’t know who you were at first. The ship was a mess. I’d lost track of how long we’d been trapped in that other universe, cut off from everyone and everything we knew. ::pauses:: I didn’t like you much and had tracked you to the Sto’vo’kor Lounge to give you a piece of my mind. But when I found you that night, something about you changed my mind.
The anxiety built in her chest at the memory, but she pushed it away. She would get through this. It was important to them. It was important to their story.
Rosek: Whatever I was expecting, it wasn’t you. ::pauses:: I had never been the type to open up to just anyone. I’d learned young to protect my heart. But even from the beginning, it was easier with you. There was no pressure to be liked or worry that I would offend you. I was able to be myself. ::grins:: I’m sure the last thing you expected me to do was to ask you to dance right then and there. What started as social skills lessons turned into a close friendship that would only grow over the years.
Memories filtered through her mind like a filmstrip of all the sparring matches, dancing lessons, drinking nights, and times when they’d been there for one another. Neither of them had had an ulterior motive beyond enjoying each other’s company. They’d helped heal each other’s hurts and comforted one another when nothing else could be done.
Rosek: There was never any judgment between us nor any attempts to change the other. In the moments when there were no words, we sat quietly and held one another while the rest of the universe faded around us. We looked out for one another through firefights, illnesses, surgeries, and broken hearts. ::softly:: It was always you.
They’d fought their attraction for one another for so long and it had always been one excuse or another why they couldn’t ever be more than friends. He’d been the best thing that had ever happened to her and it just hadn’t seemed worth losing that. He was her center and her world made the most sense with him in it. She was better and more herself when she was with him.
Rosek: No one else knows how to comfort me with no expectations and no preconceived notions like you do. Your steadfast patience, love, and trust give me the courage every day to not just face the trials of this life, but to be vulnerable with you and to allow your unwavering faith to heal the wounds that life often inflicts. I cannot imagine a life without you in it and am excited to experience the many adventures God and life have in store for us. I love you and promise to make the choice to love you every day, no matter what we might face together.
He had written down some stuff that he wanted to say, had rehearsed it all at least a day earlier, and as he opened his mouth for some reason what was written had failed him. He was no poet and, just as he’d said, he was going to wing it if he forgot his lines. He took a steady breath as he began to speak.
Skyfire: I didn’t know anyone aboard my current posting. I knew you as some person on the ship, whose medical file I’d probably looked at once or twice, but couldn’t place the name. As the ship crumbled around me, I realized so too was my world. My life, in its entirety. When you found me, I was prepared to meet death with the hollow emptiness of having lived a life unfulfilled.
Almost as suddenly as it began, he felt the anxiety rising within him. He hoped nobody noticed his hand was shaking a little as he spoke. He’d be fine, this moment would pass. His half of the story was equally as important as hers.
Skyfire: Whatever I was prepared for, I was ready to do. For the good of the ship. ::pauses:: I never understood what emotions really were, or how they worked. As far as I knew, everyone I loved was dead. For some reason, I didn’t understand the role I played in the grand design. You found me a broken man, ready to call it quits and throw myself into the void. You showed me that there was still some good to be found in the universe. I was not going to get out of life that easily. ::grins:: You were the last thing I expected when you asked me to dance that night. What started as you teaching me to break the ice and hand-to-hand lessons turned into a close friendship that would only grow stronger with time.
As he spoke, his own memories fought their way to the surface and played in rapid sequential order like an old newsreel of their sparring matches, dancing lessons, drinking nights, and so forth. Neither of them had had an ulterior motive beyond enjoying each other’s company. Despite his own social awkwardness, healing hugs had prevailed.
Skyfire: I couldn’t judge you, and didn’t really want to change you. In those moments when nothing else existed, you were the only source of light in the room. I did everything I could to keep you safe, and even brought you back from the dead because I love you. :: Softly. :: You’re my zing.
TBC
----
Lieutenant Commander Lael Rosek, Eng.D.
Mission Specialist
USS Chin'toka, NCC-97187
I238110RH0
&
Lieutenant Commander Chythar Skyfire, MD
Medical Officer & Barista
USS Chin’toka NCC-97187
O239002CS0
&
Captain Mei’konda Delano
Commanding Officer
USS Chin’toka, NCC-97187
M239002M10
&
PNPC Adelynn Rosek
Civilian Merchant
Earth
As written by Lael Rosek
I238110RH0
&
PNPC Aldek Desai
Civilian
Unknown
As written by Lael Rosek
I238110RH0
&
PNPC Elina Kincade
Civilian Nurse
Earth
As written by Lael Rosek
I238110RH0