deercountry | I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways (WIDE OPEN)

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I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways (WIDE OPEN)

Who: Vira-Lorr (

onerthes), Minako Aino (

loveandduty & YOU!
What: Minako and Vira-Lorr's Wedding
When: September 9th
Where: Vira-Lorr's House and backyard.

Content Warnings: Blood (During the Bonding Ritual), but otherwise nope!

Vira-Lorr and Minako Aino are getting married! Besides their public Network Post announcing it, invitations are put out as an open invite to anyone who wishes to come. Gifts aren't needed, but they're certainly welcome.

There is included only one request. The invitation is open, meaning that anyone could stop in. Because there are so many good reasons that some might have to dislike or wish harm on each other, Vira-Lorr includes with it a request that people place their pasts aside while they celebrate their wedding.

1) Getting Ready/Cleaning Up

Thanks to the difficulties that all Palebloods faced during this month, Vira-Lorr had put out a bit of a call for help, and many of their friends offered to be there to help with the setup. There were some refreshments set out for them in the days running up to the event. Tables had to be set up, lighting needed to be strung. Flowers had to be delivered from Makoto's florists and arranged as well. So much to do, so little time. A lunar orb had to be set up to power everything. Decorations were going to need to be festooned.

Vira-Lorr and Minako were around throughout. Once her eyesight was back, Minako would be able to fully help with the arrangements. They were certainly available to mingle among the guests and happiness was to be shared all around. The whole of the party was to be held mostly in the back yard of Vira-lorr's home, the woods serving as a backdrop on all sides. Sticks of incense were burning on the regular to ensure there was no trouble with local monsters. Seating was comfortable, with a wide set of table for most of the guests at the reception, along with seats facing the archway where the ritual would be performed.

Specifically, one of the arrangements that Vira-Lorr made sure happened were small tables, set back from the others. They were surrounded by screens of ivy and bamboo, allowing for privacy while dining and viewing the wedding itself. Knowing that a few guests might not want to mingle too widely, it felt a nice option to have.

2) The Refreshments

Food was set out and drinks were provided for all. Where possible, Vira-Lorr tried to use her friends' bakeries. It was sad to think that Lysithea wouldn't be here to cater for this, as she'd once hoped. Still, she liked to think she was there in spirit. Breads and fish were the dominant fare and there was but one rule with the food that was followed throughout. There were absolutely, positively, without question, NO MUSHROOMS to be found. Considering how many were around Vira-Lorr's house, it might have been surprising, but one of the two of them really didn't like Shitakes, so best to include only the food that they most loved, right? Most of the dishes were pastries of one sort or another, along with a fish entree for everyone to enjoy. And of course...

Drinks were available, though the sampling of wines were a little thin. There were only so many on offer in town, after all. Most of them were fruit wines of one variety or another. One of the local Trenchies, hired for the day, was serving behind the counter with the open bar. Non-alcoholic drinks were also provided, for those who preferred them.

3) The Ceremony (Warning for Blood Rite)

When it was time for the vows to be said, Vira-Lorr was positively beaming. Within the archway, at some point during the festivities, there was a strange but familiar Statue that appeared. Set up at the altar and the archway was a bowl with what looked like ... well, it was blood. There was no way around that. This part of the ceremony was the one devoted to the way things were done here in Trench. The ladies exchanged their vows to each other first, where all could see them and hear them, but afterwards was included a bonding ceremony.

For those who still remembered the bonding ceremonies that had been taught back in February, they would recognize it when the two pressed their hands to each other's shoulders. Vira-Lorr was just glad that paleblood neutralized the acids in her own. No wincing. No pain. It had worked safely. The shoulders, a physical bond, weren't what the Trenchies in attendance expected clearly, but Vira-Lorr smiled and looked at everyone.

"We value each other's privacy, and I trust Minako with my whole heart. We decided when we wanted to get married that we... we wanted a bond that would let us still feel our minds separate, but always be joined together. To us, this is that kind of bond." She'd let Minako add anything she needed. But it was clear that she was positively beaming.

4) Dancing and Mingling!

Once the food's been had and the vows have been said, it's time to celebrate! There's the cutting of the cake, and dances to be had. There was even a very real possibility that Minako had every intention to sing for their guests. Vira-Lorr wasn't about to stop her from doing that if she wished. When they weren't right out in the front, there was music being provided for people to dance to, as they pleased and folks were welcome to mingle long into the night. It was a rare moment where nothing seemed to be going wrong.

True, Never Mind had whatever it had in store for them, and just as true there'd just now been rumored occasional disappearances in town. But this was hopefully a moment for people to gather and to try and just relax, to have fun and remember that this was a place that they were now living, not simply surviving.

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"It's fine there's no one sitting there and I don't mind at all."

Makoto had a glass of something strawberry colored and sparkling at the moment. Her shoes were actually already off and sitting right next to her chair from where she had been wearing them and running around since it was time for all of the wedding party to get dressed.

It took Makoto a moment to recognize the girl from their conversation a few days prior on the network.

"It's nice to see you again. How are you enjoying everything?"

"It's really nice. Everything here is so pretty.."

It's clear that a lot of preparation has been put into this wedding, that's for sure. Even just for the decorations alone! It's enough to make Chizuru smile a little as she's talking, looking over at Makoto, before shyly admitting: "This is actually the first wedding I've ever been to."

It's mostly said shyly since she has no idea how weird that is. Do normal people often go to weddings? Does that fact make her look very strange?

Chizuru has no clue.

"But if they're all like this, then I'm really glad to have come here today."

"I'm glad that you were able to make it then. Mina-chan is an expert at things like this, and with everyone's help it went really well."

Having so many show to celebrate had been nice with what was happening around the city, that people were still willing to come together to celebrate the union of two people who were devoting their lives one another, it made Makoto sigh and smile a little, it really was like a novel. And in a way she wondered if she was ever going to be more than the bridesmaid.

"Well there are a bunch of different types, but they're all wonderful to witness because you know the people getting married are in love. Usually. And everyone is always dressed up so pretty it's amazing to see. Mina-chan will be excited to know that the first wedding you ever saw was hers."

Chizuru mostly smiles at Makoto's words - though she's also slowly starting to realise something here.

Slowly, but she's getting there. After all, the way Makoto talks about Minako..

".. oh.. You sound like you know her well." Of course that doesn't mean Chizuru can be sure whether or not they knew each other from back home. It could be that Makoto and Minako only met in this place - that's how Chizuru met Minako, after all. "Are the two of you close..? It must be even nicer to see someone you're so close to get married!"

"We're best friends, Mina-chan, Usagi, and I have been really close since we started high school."

Well not only then but the past lives and that eternal bond that they shared as well being the sailor Senshi and guardians of sailor moon. But Makoto still very much cared for Minako simply because she was Minako and they'd gone through a lot together. Crushed on many of the same boys, chasing after the most popular crazes, had to face the horrors of midterms.

So to see her happy and have found the person that she wanted to spend her life with, who also happened to be a friend of Makoto's, was a wonderful occasion.

"It is, Mina-chan is a goddess of love but she never really got to experience it for herself because she was so focused on everyone else. And Vira-Lorr has had some pretty rough experiences with relationships, so they were able to find one another, and find a way to realize their feelings. It's amazing."

See, she fully believes Minako is an actual and literal goddess. So Makoto confirming it like this only strenghtens Chizuru's belief in this moment.

Not that she's really thinking about that. Not much. No, instead she's just thinking of how fondly Makoto is describing both Minako and Vira-Lorr. How kindly she's speaking of them here, and how genuinely glad she seems to be for their union. It's so sweet, and it's exactly the sort of thing that warms Chizuru's heart, seeing people care so much for one another, even if she might not know Makoto all that well yet.

"It is amazing," she agrees. Her voice is a little soft, but there's a very real and warm smile on her face as she says it. "I hope they can be happy here, despite.. um, you know, all the bad stuff that happens."

The last thing is added with a touch of awkwardness. She doesn't want to remind either of them of the bad stuff here, not on such a nice day, but it's also kind of hard to forget at the same time.

"I guess it's an upside of this place though, right? Even though we were taken here without deciding to come here ourselves, and even though sometimes bad stuff happens.. It also allows people to meet who usually never would have met each other."

"It is, you get to meet a lot of people that you usually never have a chance of crossing paths with, and sometimes you even meet that special person that makes it all worth it. Someone who can help you to be the best version of yourself you can be."

For Makoto that had been Atsushi, but he'd returned home, and she was left the fond memories. In fact, if it hadn't been Atsushi there was a chance that the day could have gone very differently. Makoto was glad that Vira-Lorr had been willing to give Minako a shot after the confessions and confusion with Makoto's birthday. It seemed so long ago now, she'd had a year and a half with Atsushi and they had progressed from the insecure individuals they'd been to the couple that was just beginning to truly explore the depths of their love.

"But knowing them, they'll be happy and will have plenty of support to make sure of it too."

"Ah.."

Chizuru seems a little amazed by the way the other manages to put it, staring at Makoto like the other is a guru from the heavens. It's just that she put it in such a nice and elegant way - not to mention that tone, like Makoto truly knows what she's talking about here.

After a moment she snaps out of the daze, though there's still admiration in Chizuru's eyes as she looks at the other.

"In that case.. Is it okay if I'd ask you something about-- um, well, something related to all of that? You really seem like you'd know the answer to the question.."

She wasn't a guru, or even the brightest in her group, it was just that she cared deeply about her friends and their happiness. For Makoto that was the most important thing, the happiness, and safety of those she cared about. When the other seemed to have a question Makoto didn't mind, taking a sip of her did and then nodding her head,

"Sure ask anything you'd like, what's up?"

There's still a moment of hesitation, even after Makoto gives her permission to ask. It's like Chizuru is waffling for some reason, but she does manage to force out the question without needing any prodding.

It just takes a few seconds.

"How do you know?" A pause, and then Chizuru realises that the question is worded a little too vaguely, so the girl clarifies: "Um, I mean.. how do you know that you've found that special someone..?"

"It's hard to say exactly. For me it was just kind of gradual, I found myself thinking about Sushi-kun more and more, and wanting to be with him more."

She closed her eyes for a moment and thought back to the beginning, when her feelings were developing and she was just coming to the realization.

"You'll just know because of the way that thinking about that person makes you feel."

"Ah.. I guess it's really hard to explain, huh..?"

Not that Makoto doesn't try. But Chizuru gets the same feeling she got as when she asked before - that people find it difficult to put it into words precisely. It's probably the sort of feeling that can't really be described with words in the first place..

Though that only makes it more complicated.

"I just think I have trouble.. um." Chizuru stops, and then continues. To be fair, it's clearly hard to even put her questions and comments into words on her own end too. "Trouble telling the difference, maybe. Between being in love with someone, and just being really fond of someone.."

That's the difficult part. It's not like Chizuru doesn't know what it's like to feel a whole lot for someone, after all.

But drawing the line? Now that's the difficult part.

"Sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. And I'm not really sure if there's a way to know the difference. Well unless you find yourself really wanting to kiss them, then it's definitely love."

For Makoto that had been a determining factor when it came to the last realization of how exactly she felt about Atsushi. Just a small admission to herself that made her realize that she liked him a bit different than just as a friend.

"You must have someone that you're not very sure about."

Chizuru lets out a sound. It sounds a little like a hint of a laugh, but there's something a little awkward and flustered about it.

"It's that obvious, huh..?"

Yes. Yes, Chizuru, it is. It doesn't take a genius to notice, and Makoto is certainly right on the money here.

"I suppose it doesn't matter much, since he isn't here in this place, but.. I still can't help but think about it at moments like these." When she's entirely surrounded by a celebration of love, like right here at the wedding.

"When someone asks, it's usually a pretty good sign that they're at least thinking about whether there's someone like that in their life. And the way you sound, you're not really sure. So them not being here may actually help you figure it out."

Makoto took a moment and looked down at the glass that she had,

"Like if you still find yourself thinking about them, even if they're not around. Wondering what they're up to, or maybe find yourself wishing they were here so you could enjoy something like this together. Well then you'll know just how you feel. And if you don't, well then you'll have an answer as well and might find someone else who does make you feel that way."

"But I'm thinking of him right now."

And not even just right now. Chizuru has definitely found herself thinking about the other a lot during her stay here over the months. Even though she's been here for so long now, her concern over him hasn't faded.

(But then again, isn't she worried about the other men of the Shinsengumi as well? How is that different then?

.. Chizuru frowns a little to herself, unable to figure it out.)

"I-- I guess I'll just have to keep thinking about it and see, huh..?" Since it does sound like it's hard for anyone else to figure out. Like the sort of thing she'll have to figure out for herself, one way or another. No matter whether it's difficult or not. "I'm sorry if it feels like I might have wasted your time with a question like this."

"Not at all, it's really nice talking to you. And it's always reassuring to know that other people have some of the same struggles with guys too, or how exactly they feel."

Plus just having someone to talk to casually while taking a moment to catch a breath between dances was always a welcome break as well. This was also a good way for Makoto to get to know Chizuru a little better than the last time they had bumped into each other.

"It's not a waste of time, it's something pretty important. And even if we can't figure it out at least you know you're not alone."

.. what a kind answer, Chizuru can't help but think as she stares at Makoto. Perhaps staring for a moment longer than absolutely necessary, because the unexpected kindness in the way Makoto replies to her does make Chizuru dumbstruck for a moment.

Only a moment, though. It's then that she seems to recover, quickly nodding and opening her mouth to actually reply, rather than only staring in stunned amazement.

"T-Thank you! If you really find it reassuring, then.. um.. I wouldn't mind talking about it again sometime.."

Or about anything, really, if Makoto is always this nice. She sure seems to be.

"You can always call me if you ever need it! It's the least I can do in return for you listening to me so patiently."

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I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways (WIDE OPEN)

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