06-15-2010, 03:18 PM
"There's a party here in Par-a-gon, there's excitement in the air....people pourin' in from near and far..." Nene hummed to herself, getting an odd look from Sylia as she held her arms up so Sylia could get the measuring tape around her chest. Nene just smiled back. "Sorry, little punchy. But I promise no musical numbers."
Sylia chuckled softly as she moved down to the waist. "You have every reason to be singing, admittedly. The wedding itself is this weekend. Though I imagine some of us were wondering why you were waiting so long."
"Not like she's getting cold feet with Ifrit warming them beside her every night," Priss chuckled from her position lounging on a couch nearby. Nene stuck her tongue out at the singer before Sylia pushed her head forward again.
"Well, the Christmas date seemed appropriate." Nene smiled slightly. "The honeymoon's going to be just a step away, thanks to the teleporter setup that Katy managed for us. So we can go, take a week, and be back without much trouble."
"And send someone back for anything you forgot, since both of you are likely to forget something," Linna chuckled. This time, Nene didn't get a chance to move before Sylia physically held her in place, though she gestured eloquently with her free hand, getting a laugh from both the girls.
"So out of curiousity, who did get the wedding dress?" Linna asked.
"Ifrit," Nene pouted. "It's why I have to get measured for a tux."
"How'd you end up deciding who got to wear the dress?" Priss asked curiously.
"Flipped a coin," Nene noted with a sigh. "Sadly, an arena duel wouldn't be a fair competition and Ifrit's not much of a video gamer...."
"Meaning she didn't let you stack the odds," Linna laughed.
"Pretty much," Nene sulked, getting another laugh as Sylia smiled slightly, marking down another measurement.
***
"You did get all the invitations out, right?" Ifrit asked as Nene sighed.
"Yes," she said with a long suffering voice. "I said I'd take care of them and I did. I'll have you know we've nearly filled the Legendary Base to capacity. Any more and we'd have to pick a different venue or allow people into sections that are closed off for security reasons."
"Well, I didn't want to miss anyone," Ifrit noted fretfully.
Nene chuckled, putting an arm around her. "Given we've invited half of Paragon already, I think we're safe."
"You're sure?" Ifrit said, not willing to give up the problem just yet.
Nene chuckled. "It's computers, hon. That's my area of expertise."
***
"-and a guest are cordially invited to celebrate the marriage of Ifrit Barnes and Nene Romanova, Friday the twenty-fifth of December at 6PM, at the Legendary Supergroup base's chapel. A reception will follow in the social hall of the base," Daley read, looking over the invitation, before looking up at Leon. "And guest, huh? Care to be my date, Leon?" he noted with a raised eyebrow.
Leon just shook his head. "I'm dating one of the bridesmaids. I think it's in bad form, somehow."
"Yes, probably not a good idea to show up on someone else's arm while your girlfriend's on the stage," Daley concurred. "Sends the wrong message."
***
Douglas Q. Sangnoir had dealt with a variety of unusual situations in his time. He'd fought the cybernetic avatar of a man that had turned an entire world into his playthings. He'd wrestled with gods and demons. He'd seen things most people would barely dream possible. Yet this current situation had to take the cake, if only for recursive coincidence.
"You want me to what?" he asked, looking at the dark skinned blonde sitting in front of him in confusion.
Lisa laughed at his expression before leaning forward. "I asked if you minded accompanying me to Nene's wedding. The invitation says 'and guest', and I know you got one too. I'd rather not show up solo, but I really don't know anyone else I would take to this sort of thing." She grinned as she cut off his growing protest. "It's not a romantic date, Doug. Honestly. Think of it as being my wingman if you will, 'Colonel'."
"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Doug sighed, looking at her with a faint expression of bemused resignation.
"Nope, and the sooner you catch up with the rest of the class, the sooner we can get you fitted for a proper suit," Lisa said with a smile.
***
"I wish I could come." Dani sighed as she sat across the table from Allison in the Architect booth. "I'd love to meet your friends....another problem with being stuck in here."
Allison smiled slightly. She'd been waiting for this one. "You can, actually."
Dani looked up at her, giving her a 'not funny' look that wilted as she remembered Ally wasn't the teasing type. "What do you mean?"
"The Legendary base has a full on telepresence system for its base AI. I think they can arrange a way for you to share space." Ally smiled, rather self satisfied.
Dani blinked, considering that, before her face burst into a wide grin.
***
"If you could make it, it'd mean a lot to me. I know it's a bit hard given you kind of stand out," Nene noted, absently toying with a toothpick in one corner of her mouth as she looked over the interior of the computer tower she was working on.
"Hn. I think I can find a way."
"Don't mind standing for me on stage and everything?" Nene asked, hopeful.
"Need disguise practice anyway."
"Of course," she chuckled, reattaching the power cable to the hard drive. "Thanks though, you're a peach."
"Cherry blossom," came the amused reply.
"Oh, a pun. You are in a good mood."
***
Tuesday
***
"Lisa! You've got to help me! I don't know what to wear!" Rhea cried, bursting in to the other redhead's bedroom. Lisa looked up from where she was organizing her own clothes on her spacious bed, and grinned.
"Isn't that supposed to be my line?"
"That's not funny!"
"Relax, Rhea. We already picked out what you were wearing, remember? We had the fittings two weeks ago, and the tailor said they're ready to pick up any time. So what's the problem?"
Rhea shook her head, causing her hair to fly wildly about. "No, silly! I'm not worried about the wedding!" She leaned forward, her eyes intent, resting her hands on the foot of the bed. "I'm talking about for the bachelorette party!" A quizzical look came over her face and she cocked her head, frowning. "Come to think of it, I don't know which of them is really the bachelorette -- but it doesn't matter. I've got everything lined up, except what I'm wearing!"
Lisa held up her hands. "Whoa, slow down. This is the first I've heard of a bachelorette party. Now, what's going on?"
"Well, you know... a party?" Rhea laughed a little. "What's her name, that big ninja lady Nene always hangs out with--"
"Sachie Hanagawa," Lisa put in.
"-- right, her, she's handling Nene's bachelorette party, I think. But nobody seems to be planning anything for Ifrit, so I decided to surprise her. But now I don't know what to wear!"
Lisa chuckled. "That's probably the least of your worries. Are you sure she'll be able to make it? It's right before her wedding, after all. She's probably booked solid."
Rhea frowned. "I didn't think about that," she admitted. "You think this means I'll need to tell the dancers not to show up after all?"
"... let me make a couple of calls."
A few calls and nearly a half-hour later, Lisa set down the phone and returned to the bedroom. "Well, there's good news and bad news."
Rhea nodded. "Okay, hit me."
"The bad news is, Ifrit -- and the rest of the wedding party, I checked -- is busy, booked solid, completely overwhelmed and unable to make anything, not even a coffee session, until after the wedding." She grimaced and rubbed at her ear. "I got a minor chewing out just for asking, in fact. So I don't think there'll be a party for them."
"Awww," Rhea pouted.
"The good news is, there's a few dozen people who are in town for the wedding, have nothing to do, and are making nuisances of themselves trying to 'help' organize the wedding. Ifrit's been smoldering a lot and the maid of honor is under orders to, and I quote, 'not let her torch any guests', unquote." Lisa grinned and her eyes twinkled a bit. "So you and I are going down to Second Skin to find you something to wear after all."
Rhea brightened. "So... no bachelorette party, but we still get to have a party?"
Lisa nodded. "If you promise to keep the guests occupied until the main event starts, the Legendary will even donate Mag as a bartender and master of ceremonies."
"We'll need to take pictures for Ifrit," Rhea mused.
"You mentioned dancers?"
"Only the best!"
"... I didn't know you knew any dancers."
"Oh, I don't, personally. But Terr spends so much time down at the D that he's got cards from all of them, pretty much."
"He does, does he?" Lisa's voice was edged with a low growl.
Rhea laughed and leaned over to kiss Lisa on the cheek. "Relax. He blushes a lot and mumbles something about being taken when they come on to him. He's not dumb enough to cheat on you. Besides," she added, grinning, "more than half the cards are from the male dancers, and you know how Terr reacts to that."
Lisa chuckled. "Point. But just to be on the safe side, we're making him deliver the invitations."
"And check ID's at the door."
"ID's?"
"Lisa. The dancers ARE from the D, you know." Rhea wrapped her arm around her girlfriend and trailed fingers down Lisa's side. "And it was meant to be a bachelorette party..."
"... maybe we should have extra security on hand, just in case."
Rhea laughed. "Oooh, men in uniform! Now about the outfit, I'm thinking nothing says bachelorette party like leather..."
***
"Okay then," Neko said, studying her dress in the mirror. "I think I can get through this without a fashion disaster," she concluded, satisfied that she'd been able to hide both her shield generator and sword in her gown.
"Lucky you," Alice grumbled, fidgeting in her dress. "This thing's too damn uncomfortable." Inyme glanced up from her book, and a brief telekinetic touch made some minor adjustments to the outfit. "... Huh. That's better. Thanks sweetie." Inyme smiled faintly as Sammy giggled. "And don't you start."
The other catgirl grinned back at her. "About what?" she asked. "The fact that your girlfriend, who spends almost all her time in uniforms and jumpsuits, does a better job of managing a dress then you? Or the fact that your tail is going to get caught again no matter what you-"
"I said don't start, and sure as hell don't continue," she growled, ears going flat. Sammy merely grinned wider as she turned her attention back to her own dress, humming a cheerful little tune. There was a long pause, then Inyme stiffened slightly, right before Sammy looked at her. "Can we see your dress? Please pretty please?"
"No," Inyme replied.
"Why not?"
"I'm reading a book."
"But-"
"It's a good book," she added, turning a page. Sammy frowned, and was planning on continuing her requests/pestering, only to be interrupted as Ifrit stormed in, eyes blazing, the air around her hands smoldering with heat. "Oh dear," the Rikti said quietly as they watched the fey growl and run her hands through her hair. Alice frowned, then glanced back out the doorway to see Robin chasing Miranda off with sharp words and wildly waving hands.
The warshade retreated, the confused smile on her face suggesting she really didn't understand what the issue was, and Robin lowered her hands, taking a deep breath. Then she turned and walked over to where Alice was watching with a raised eyebrow and leaned past her. "It's okay Ifrit," she reassured her twin sister. "Mir's been chased off. You don't need to burn anyone."
"Not even a small burn?" she asked hopefully. Sammy and Alice glanced at each other, sharing a concerned look.
"She wouldn't understand," Robin pointed out with a wry smile. "She thinks she's helping."
"We don't need help," the fey growled. "We especially don't need help in rearranging the lighting and decorations in the chapel from someone that thinks flashing beams of near solid light are pretty!"
Neko frowned slightly. "We're altering the lighting?"
"No, we're not!" Ifrit snapped, the temperature in the room spiking up almost five degrees. "That's finally all arranged and sorted, and we're not messing with it!"
"'frit, just take a deep breath," Robin said softly. "You're right. We don't need to change anything there. It's going to be fine." Ifrit glared at her for a moment, then sighed and dropped onto the couch. "It'll all be over soon," she promised. "Just a few more days."
"God... We should have just eloped," Ifrit sighed. "It would have been so much easier."
Her feline sister smiled faintly, sitting down next to her. "You'd regret it later," she reminded her.
"I know," she replied, closing her eyes. "But not right now. Not right now." She sat there for a moment, then sighed. "We've got to call the caterers, double check they're on schedule."
"Yeah," Robin agreed. "You sit down and catch your breath. I'll handle that," she said, patting Ifrit's hand as she stood up. Alice dropped onto the couch where Robin had been sitting, putting a reassuring arm over her mother's shoulder. The fey smiled weakly at her.
***
Wednesday
***
Ifrit dialed the number that Nene'd given her, absently wondering if this was just a ploy by her fiancee' to get the "bridezilla" out of the way for a bit while they handled things. Still, catering had to be done anyway, so she supposed she'd let Nene get away with it.
"Hello! Chao Bao Zi Restaurant! The Chinese restaurant of the future! How can I help you?" a cheery voice answered on the second ring.
"Ah, yes, my name's Ifrit Barnes, and I was wondering if you did large scale catering? I'm looking to set up a wide variety for a wedding," Ifrit said, frowning. A Chinese restaurant?
"We can do much catering! How many guests do you expect?"
Ifrit frowned. "Probably about several hundred or so."
"Alright. When do you need the orders?"
"Um....this weekend. By 6PM."
"Right! It will be ready immediately! Your teleport beacon should arrive in the mail tomorrow. Just place it in the location for the reception when ready, and the rest will be handled."
"Really?" Ifrit said, dubiously looking at the phone. "Just like that?"
"Chao Bao Zi has specialized in this sort of thing for generations," the chipper voice noted over the phone. "We guarantee satisfaction or your money back."
"Well, I suppose so then..." Ifrit said. It was only after the other end hung up that she blinked at the phone.
"Wait....generations...?"
***
"No."
"Aww, please?"
"No."
"Just a liiiiittle mischief? I promise not to interrupt the ceremony!"
"No."
"Mouuuu, you're usually more fun, Sacchan," Inari pouted, ears flattening a touch as she looked at her lover.
Sachie merely impassively returned the look, as immovable as a cliff face and about as sympathetic to Inari's pleas. "They hired me for security, and that means preventing mischief. Even yours."
Inari pouted again before a sly look slid into her features. "I don't suppose I could bribe security?" she smiled, leaning in close and running her fingers along Sachie's chest before they were caught in one hand -- delicately, compared to what Inari knew Sachie capable of. Her lover's smile was bemused.
"Outbid that too."
"Your other woman is no fun," Inari mock-pouted, earning a slightly wider smirk from Sachie.
***
"Catering?"
"Confirmed."
"Decorations?"
"All done."
"Seating arrangements?"
"We need to look at it one more time," Ifrit said. Nene sighed. "I know, but someone tried rearranging it and put Gaussian and Dietrich next to each other."
Nene winced. "Ohhh... that's a brilliant idea," she said dryly. "Why are we inviting her anyway?"
"Because when she's not in a snit, she's perfectly fine," Ifrit replied. "And when she's not dealing with Vanguard, she's not in a snit. It's a simple solution." She rolled her eyes. "That means rearranging the seating plans again... tomorrow." She smiled as she finished undressing and slid into bed next to Nene. "It can all wait until tomorrow."
Nene nodded in satisfaction. "Damn right it can," she agreed, using the chance to cuddle. "Right now, we can just relax." Her soon-to-be-wife (Oh so soon) chuckled and buried her face in Nenes hair. "And you wanted to elope yesterday," she teased.
"It was tempting, if only to get away from Mir," she replied with a shudder. "But in the end, this will definitely be worth it."
"It's the engineer in her."
"You sure it's not the squid?" Ifrit wondered, then giggled as Nene tickled her. "Hey!"
"Sounding a little too like Robin there." Nene grinned and pressed her advantage.
***
Thursday
***
"I'm not going to do it," Linna declared, arms crossed. "Sorry, Sylia, but you couldn't pay me enough."
"I can't! You know it won't happen if I'm the one that goes," Nene protested.
Sylia sighed. "I know it's hard, but there has to be someone better qualified than me."
"Sorry, boss, but you're just the best at what you do," Linna said.
"....I suppose you're right. And it has to be done," Sylia said, before taking a deep breath and walking into the lioness' den. "Priss...honey..." she started.
Priss gave her a sour look at the addition on the end. "No. I refuse. I am not going up there in a dress. Nene's wearing a suit, why can't I wear a suit?"
"Because you'd be the only one who was, and it'd throw the entire visual look of the wedding party off," she said calmly.
"Then have someone else wear a suit besides me too. I'm sure there's someone else in the bridal party that'd want to avoid wearing a circus tent," Priss replied, frowning.
Sylia didn't react even though she knew Miranda would be just happy to fill that slot, but Priss didn't know that, so it was bluster rather than strategy on her part. Still, arguing logic with her wasn't likely to get anywhere with her at this point. Priss was quicker witted than most would suppose, and Sylia didn't have time to slowly work her around. Which left playing her trump card. "You've worn a dress before. Enjoyed it even, as I recall," she pointed out with a smile.
Priss looked back at her uncomfortably, almost betrayed. "That was...that was different. It was because I was doing it for you..."
"Then do it for me again now, and more importantly, for Nene. This is her special day....and you don't want to mess that up for something this small, do you?" Sylia asked, gently, even as she saw the flicker of indecision in Priss's face indicating her resolve was wobbling.
"Well, I..."
"I promise, I won't let you make a fool of yourself by tripping over it. I am designing the dresses, after all."
Priss looked at her, then sighed deeply, slouching in defeat. "Fine....I guess I can do that for you....and for Nene. But she's gonna owe me."
"I'm sure I can balance both our bills once this is over," Sylia said. "The only difference between a honeymoon and a vacation is that one comes after a wedding after all," she noted with a small smile.
Priss blinked at that, and Sylia could see the gears spin in her head for about half a second before she actually blushed. "Yeah, I guess that'd work...." she said with a cough.
Sylia smiled slightly wider, putting an arm around her. "Let's get to measuring then, shall we? I doubt yours have changed, but it's best to be sure...."
Priss shook her head with a chuckle as Nene turned around to open the door to the changing room. "Hey, Robin!"
"Yeah?"
"Situation green, no problems here."
"Oh, thank god. If there'd been another, I think we'd have been risking seeing how fireproof Priss was...."
***
"So, I've been talking to some of the Infamous," Colonel Morgan said as he leaned back, resting his beer on the rooftop next to him. "There's a few people expressing interest in the usual 'perfect moment for vengeance' nonsense." Next to him, the rather uninteresting looking man raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then they were informed by several other people that they would react rather poorly to any co-workers or allies attacking a wedding to which they'd been invited."
Sell-Sword nodded slightly. "And the security Isles side?"
"All in place, as we discussed." He chuckled slightly. "Anyone foolish enough to try anything after past demonstrations of Riot's policy in regards to 'personal' attacks isn't going to have long enough to regret it." He sipped at his beer. "So. Where are you going to be?"
"I've got a few possible sniper nests," the mercenary replied simply. Morgan merely chuckled, looking back out over Steel Canyon.
***
Ifrit looked over the chapel as her sensitive ears heard the last lights being shut down amongst public areas of the Legendary base in preparation for the event tomorrow. The wedding rehearsal had gone well in spite of the absence of a couple of the particulars. Nene had assured her that it'd be handled, though, and the fae had learned to trust her fiancee in such matters. Especially when backed by as much effort as their collective families.
"That's the last of it...before tomorrow, anyway," Nene said, walking up behind her. "Almost through. You ready?"
Ifrit laughed, turning around to lean against her. "You really have to ask that question?"
"Of course," Nene returned with a smile, putting her arms around the fae's waist. "It's some kind of pre-wedding rule."
Ifrit smiled, leaning against her for a long moment, as the silence stretched between them, before Nene looked down at her again. "Now c'mon. Sammy and Alice are fidgeting about Christmas presents," she chuckled.
Ifrit laughed. "Of course...let's go."
***
Friday
***
"Well, all the bridesmaids are arranged. As well as the....groomswomen or whatever we're calling them," Nene said. "Thanks for being willing to be my...whatever one calls a female best man, Naoko." She smiled at her friend.
Naoko smiled back. "It's no trouble at all. I'm just honored you picked me instead of one of the others..."
"You're my best friend, Naoko, why wouldn't I pick you?" Nene said with a friendly clap on the shoulder. "Now if our last groomswoman gets here, we'll have the entire bridal part-"
"NENE-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!" a high-pitched voice suddenly cried. It literally set many canine ears flat in pain, those that were within its range.
Nene blinked before instinctively bracing herself as a long, white-haired girl glomped her from a run, nearly bowling Nene over in the process. She caught herself as she looked down at the silver-eyed girl, who was even now beaming at her.
"Ah...hi there..." Nene said, struggling for a name, before the smiling face of the girl flattened for just a second and Nene's eyes widened. "No way...." she blinked.
"Haaaiiii!" The-girl-who-was-not-and-yet-was-Sachie grinned. "I just couldn't believe how long the flight took to get here, Nene-chan. I was sooo impatient to get here because you're getting married!" she practically squealed, sending Nene's internal processing unit into something resembling "TILT".
"Nene-chan?" Naoko asked, blinking. Nene 'grrk'ed and forced herself to think up a story quick.
"Ah, yes, she's a friend of mine from back near my old duty station, Naoko. This is..." she grasped vaguely for a name. "Saychan, a friend of mine from my old precinct."
"Munakato Sayo, Naoko-san. Please treat me kindly." Saychan beamed.
Naoko blinked, before giggling slightly at the smaller girl that barely came past even the rather petite Nene's chest in height. "Pleased to meet you, Saychan."
"I'm very happy to meet you as well, Naoko-san. Nene-chan's told me so much about you!" Saychan grinned, bowing politely.
"Saychan's our missing groomswoman, Naoko, so I suppose we can finally get her to Sylia to make sure her dress is appropriately set. Thankfully, Saychan's been to enough weddings in her family that us doing the rehersal ahead of time won't put her off," Nene nodded with a chuckle.
After Naoko excused herself to see to something or other, Nene nodded and looked back at the younger girl. "You're evil. Rotten to the core," she laughed, tousling the shorter girl's hair and getting a smirk in response.
"Villain."
"Hn," Nene replied with a smug smile, eliciting another grin from the other girl.
***
Rhea rotated her neck and stretched out a few kinks, then resumed peering through the rangefinder binoculars from the roof of a skyscraper at the entrance to the Legendary base. For the wedding, the city had thrown up a temporary teleportal, rather than force everyone to mingle at the public ones. Rhea suspected Sword and large wads of cash had had something to do with that, but she wasn't sure, and didn't much care. It made their job easier, for which she was grateful.
Security detail for the wedding was not, she thought, the way she'd have chosen to spend the day -- but it paid, and it gave her something to do that would keep her from running into her twin; good enough.
A familiar face caught her eye and she sucked in a sharp breath. "Bearing one-oh-six, two hundred fifty meters: mark!" she hissed. Next to her, Sword smoothly swung the sights of his sniper rifle over the target she'd called out to him. She felt rather than saw him tense.
"Lady Nogitsune," he confirmed, his tone neutral as ever. She frowned. She hadn't dealt much with the Queen Bitch of the Infamous herself, and neither had Emerald so far as she knew, but everybody knew who she was and had heard horror stories of what she was capable of. What was she doing here?
Through the binoculars, their target laughed politely at something her companion had just said to her -- the man was blocked by a telephone pole and Rhea couldn't get a clear view of his face, just his general outline -- and paused. The woman turned her head slowly, raising her chin...
... looking straight at them, Rhea realized with a sinking feeling. "Are we flashing?" she wondered aloud. "I think she sees us..."
"Negative," Sword replied. "Non-reflective optics." He didn't, she noted, address whether Nogitsune could see them or not, however.
A soft throat-clearing sounded from behind them. Rhea rolled and leaped to her feet, Sword mirroring her movements in the opposite direction.
Rhea blinked.
A ninja, straight out of the movies, stood facing them -- though this one was very definitely female underneath the dark garments. She carried a large covered basket in her hands.
"My lady sends her regards," the ninja began softly. "She requests that you enjoy this humble gift as you go about your duties." With that, she set the basket down, bowed, and took a step to the side, behind an air-conditioning unit. Rhea glanced at Sword, then edged to the side to get a better angle, and saw nothing. The rooftop was empty save for them.
"Okay, that's creepy," she said.
Sword nodded.
Rhea opened the basket gingerly, half-expecting a bomb or something similar, and saw a neatly-packed, if decidedly old-fashioned, picnic lunch and -- she sniffed at the spout -- pot of tea.
Sword looked at the contents, then removed his helmet and set it aside. He settled back into his snipers nest and glanced back over his shoulder.
"Is it safe?" Rhea wondered, poking at the delicious-smelling cloth-wrapped buns.
"Yes," Sword said flatly. "Nogitsune isn't one we have to worry about today."
"What do you mean?"
"It's simple," he replied, taking the pot from her and pouring himself a cup. "She would never be so crass as to attack an event she was invited to. This is her way of demonstrating that."
"I... see," Rhea said, though she really didn't. She shrugged and unwrapped a bun, taking a healthy bite. If Sword wasn't worried, then she didn't need to. She leaned forward and picked up her binoculars again.
"Hellion," she mumbled around the food in her mouth, and hastily swallowed. "Behind the Dumpster, at one-oh--"
Sword's rifle coughed. A second later, the Hellion crumpled.
"-- nice shot."
***
"Psst!"
Nene frowned and turned away from the mirror where she was adjusting her hair -- and more importantly, stealing a few minutes of quiet time while the wedding preparations whirled around her like a hurricane. She'd been enjoying the relative quiet, but she would have sworn she just heard --
"Psst!"
-- there it was again!
"Okay, come on out," she said firmly. She'd half-expected something unusual to happen, though she supposed an assassination attempt wouldn't begin with the assassin hissing for her attention -- even assuming one could get by Sachie undetected.
Alice poked her head out from between several layers of garments hanging on the rolling clothes rack Sylia had provided. "Momma Nene, we've got trouble!"
"Of course we do," Nene sighed. "What is it and why can't it wait until after the honeymoon?"
"It's Sammy," Alice said, sighing. "Neko and I can't get near her and it'd be a REAL bad idea for Derrick to approach her right now. And even I don't want to embarrass her THIS much... it needs to stay in the family."
Nene frowned. Catgirls... "What'd she do, hit the punch too early?"
"Worse," Alice replied, shaking her head. "Come with me and I'll show you."
Blinking, Nene shrugged and rose. She followed Alice through a service door, down a short hall, past the back of the stage where it sounded like a full-scale construction project was underway, and through a hastily arranged maze of partitions where the rest of the wedding party were to change. On a few occasions, Alice stopped and held up a hand to indicate that Nene should wait while someone passed by, just out of sight.
Finally, they reached a storage room. Neko was there, wearing her human guise and looking worried. Alice indicated the door. "Through there," she said. "We shouldn't get any closer. This is too close already." A shudder ran through her fur.
Nene glanced at the two of them, then -- feeling somewhat apprehensive -- approached and opened the door. The smell of flowers wafted out as it opened, and both Alice and Neko backed up several steps.
"MMmmmmm," said a very familiar voice from inside. Nene looked down.
Sammy lay sprawled in the middle of a pile of flowers. Her eyes were unfocused, with her pupils hugely dilated, and a low buzzing vibration echoed quietly off the walls. Nene had heard her adopted daughter purr before, but never so loudly as this. As Nene watched, Sammy twisted -- the only phrase that Nene could think of was 'catlike' -- and rubbed her face on her impromptu bedding, a low moan of pleasure escaping her lips.
"Sammy?" Nene wondered aloud.
"It's the honeysuckle," Neko put in from behind. "It's like catnip. Florists sometimes use it as filler decoration. Sammy was just trying to help. She came down here to start bringing up the flower arrangements from Dr. Isley, and, well..."
"You see?" Alice added, one hand covering her nose and mouth, though by the way her tail was twitching Nene guessed it wasn't helping much. "Someone needs to drag her out of there and sober her up."
"We hate bothering you," Neko said, "but I think it's safe to say that if we got Derrick to do it, Sammy wouldn't make the wedding." She colored lightly. "She appears to be one of the ones who are... amorously affected, let's say."
"The 'nip makes her horny," Alice supplied helpfully, earning a quick glare from Neko. "What? It's true. I'm the same."
"Really..." Neko said, eyes narrowing in consideration.
Alice paused, blushing. "Ummm.... yeah." Her eyes unfocused slightly, either from a memory or a daydream.
"I shouldn't be as amused as I am by this, should I?" Nene noted, trying to suppress her grin.
"Mmm, Derrick," Sammy put in.
"Before this goes any further," Neko began, but Nene waved her off.
"I've got it, don't worry. Clear a path back to my changing room, would you?" She faced the squirming catgirl directly. "C'mon, little miss Nips-A-Lot." Nene gathered Sammy's mostly-limp form up, took a moment to tug the girl's skirt back down so she wasn't flashing whoever might happen by, and carried the softly-mewling catgirl back to her dressing room. Alice and Neko went ahead, and by the time Nene arrived, had converted the couch into a makeshift bed. Nene deposited Sammy there and stood looking down at her charge for a moment.
"She'll be okay soon enough," Neko said helpfully. "With luck she won't remember it at all."
"Are you kidding?" Alice snorted. "You think I'm going to let blackmail material like this pass by?"
"Now, Alice," Neko began sternly, but Nene interrupted.
"This is awesome!" she cried. Neko and Alice twitched and turned to regard her in shock. "Don't you get it?" Nene went on, looking up at them. "When the time comes, we have the perfect honeymoon present for Derrick."
There was a stunned silence. Then:
"Momma, you're awful," Alice said between giggles.
"... I believe I know just the florist," Neko added, a twinkle in her eye.
***
"Nene, we have a problem," Miranda noted over the small two-way radios that Nene had set into everyone's outfits before the wedding party began letting people in, and Nene sighed. She was done herself, but Ifrit was still in the back changing room, and refusing to jinx the wedding anymore by being seen by Nene before the ceremony. Frankly, given it got Ifrit out of the way while letting Nene smoothly cut her out of the information loop so her love wouldn't get worked up over minor details in the minutes before it actually happened, Nene was all too grateful to indulge in meaningless superstition. But she'd hoped that they could prevent further minor disasters given the guests were arriving at this point.
After she finished greeting the chief and his daughter, a rather pretty redhead that Nene could've sworn she'd seen somewhere before, she put the receiver up to her mouth. "What is it now, Miranda?"
"Ah, we've got a guest who's brought along a rather nonstandard date...."
"Miranda," Nene started, beginning to wonder if her fiancee's little sister had lost something important in her head when she'd merged with a Warshade. "I'm hardly in a position to start throwing stones here..."
"His date is Lady Nogitsune."
Nene blinked, before putting a hand to her face. "....of course she is. Who's the guy?"
"Mace MacHine, says here Legendary Member, codename..."
Nene sighed again. "It's clear....she'll behave, I hope. And if she doesn't, she's going to find out very quickly what Sachie's like when she has an excuse to rustle her tails for her. Anyone else presenting problems?"
"Not really. I just thought that one was a big deal."
Nene nodded. "I'll let Sachie know she has someone to lurk behind in case of trouble. Just play it casual."
"Got it, boss lady."
"And stop calling me that," she said, shaking her head and continuing on. "Oh, Eishun! You made it! And this must be your daughter and her... friend!"
***
Sammy gulped down a bottle of water, trying to remember exactly what Aunt Nene had told her. The small plaque she was carrying was the catering's teleport beacon, and she was supposed to just put it down on the ground in the center of the reception hall and press the button, then get out of the way. Simple instructions.
However, she was curious. How exactly did a teleport beacon for a catering service work? Especially with all the tables in the way. Were they supposed to have moved those out of the way because it would be kinda messy if they all got shoved to the side by the teleported stuff and she wasn't setting up beacons on each table or anything and Aunt Nene was always complaining about the bad aim of the teleporters anyway like how they dumped people halfway out into the RWZ when you wanted the Vanguard base and really, it wasn't any bigger than a single plate, so how was a little thing like that going to fit everything they needed for all the people outside that were starting to get a little cramped even with all the empty rooms she liked prowling in that the Legendary Base had and...
Sammy was so busy with her own stream of consciousness that she missed the triple tone entirely, before the beacon opened up to a loud three-note buzz-crunch noise, followed by a blinding flash of light and sound. Armatures extended out of a small pit where the plate had opened up that had to be too deep to really fit inside it, before rotating around like a laser light show projecter and opening fire. As beams hit every place setting and table, objects began to appear in bursts of light and a popping sound of displaced air. First dishes, then place settings, then napkins, and finally the food itself, along with what looked to be a converted train car on the far end, which opened up to reveal a pleasant looking young woman and her more exotic looking Chinese companion, sitting in chef's gear.
Chao Ling-Shen looked around with a satisfied air. "Right on target for all 519 places," she declared. "Hayase will be pleased by the Mk. VI's performance."
"Mmm," Satsuki agreed with a nod, before blinking as there was a squealing noise from nearby. She blinked, and grabbed an extra large spatula before going to pry Sammy off of a support column as her claws grated against the unclawable material she was clinging to, tail bolt outright in fright.
***
"I still feel ridiculous in this thing," Priss protested as Sylia smiled, taking her by the arm and weaving through the crowd with professional skill. She had at least a little experience in this sort of thing, and knew this was the point she'd likely have to step in. Priss, for the most part, followed along, navigating in the high heels much better than her protests to the contrary advised. Sylia restrained a smile at the thought that it was most likely due to the original hardsuits a lifetime ago...
"So what are we looking for?" Priss asked as she passed a tall blonde woman giving dire looks at a dark skinned giant and his shorter, brown haired companion as the former told a particularly off-color joke to the group they'd gathered.
"For Nene. You know her. She's so concerned that her wedding happen without any problems that she'd miss it for handling the details," Sylia said, glancing back at her, getting a look of dawning comprehension from Priss. Sylia smiled at that. "So we're here to get her to the church on time, as it were."
True to expectations, the pair found Nene sitting on one of the balconies, looking over the crowd. "Yes, Eva's to have access to the secondary taps," Nene was saying over her radio. "And keep Jacob away from the bar until the ceremony is done. The man's an entertaining drunk, but I want the base to survive the experience. Ask the Springfields for help if you need to. He came with them, after all." Switching to another frequency, she brought up Neko. "Tell me they're behaving."
"They are. Rumors aside, I could've told you there'd be no overwhelming firepower involved. Especially with their daughter attending."
Nene chuckled. "I suppose not, but I'm watching Murphy like a hawk at the moment. He moves one step out of line, I'm pinning him to the wall."
"That's all well and fine, but shouldn't you be getting ready? The ceremony's barely an hour away," Neko pointed out.
"I know, I know...I'm just trying to make sure that..."
"That everything is in order, yes, but you need to get ready," Sylia said, walking up behind her. The shorter redhead almost jumped out of her skin as Sylia smiled. "In case you forgot, the ceremony is starting in less than an hour. Ifrit's been preparing for almost thirty minutes now, and tux or no tux, you still need some work yourself," she smiled evenly.
"I can chance it, Sylia," Nene said, pulling up a quick diagram of the base with a few hand gestures to the base telepresence system. "I am not--"
"Going to show up half-cocked for the ceremony," Sylia said, nodding to Priss, who grinned slightly as she literally picked Nene up, eliciting a squawk of protest. "Trust me, dear. I've done this kind of thing before and the preparations will go along just fine."
"You don't know that." Nene frowned, only to give Sylia an odd look as the leader of the Sabres shook her head.
"Oh, I do. I'll be taking care of everything from here on. Now shoo," the older woman smiled, before turning towards the main reception hall.
Nene blinked a couple times before finally getting her wits about her to the point that Priss set her down so she could walk on her own. "...that was unexpected."
"If you hadn't been in full detail maniac mode, it wouldn't have been," Priss chuckled. "Frankly, I pity the idiot that tries to mess your wedding up now."
Nene considered that and admitted that Priss had a point.
***
"So, nervous?"
Ifrit looked over her shoulder at Miranda to deliver a proper 'you have to ask?' look to Miranda before going back to the full length mirror. "Petrified. I can't go out there to change anything at this point, and I'm certain something's going to fall apart while I'm not looking."
Miranda chuckled softly. "I think you're safe on that part. According to monitoring, Nene just got to the changing rooms, and Sylia's looking over the details until the ceremony starts. Nene might miss something, but not her."
"Good point," Ifrit admitted, privately letting out a breath at that. Nene had taken on a lot of the responsibilities for this sort of thing just to allow her time to get ready. That Sylia had in turn taken those on so Nene wouldn't be late either was a load off her mind.
"Honestly, don't you think you're overthinking this a little?" Miranda asked.
"Hmm, possibly, but it's only the wedding to the woman of my dreams. I'd clearly be crazy to worry about wanting it to go over perfectly," she commented dryly.
"True, but with all the prep time you've put into it, what little can go wrong would've gone wrong by now," Miranda said, the Warshade sitting down to her side in her dress.
"I...I just want it to be perfect," Ifrit said, sighing, as her sister chuckled.
"Sis, no one could ruin this for you if they tried. Because at the end of the day, this is all just icing on the fact that you're marrying the woman of your dreams," Miranda pointed out. "Assuming Nene doesn't get cold feet, which I'm fairly sure she won't. Something about being afraid of you warming them afterward. With napalm."
Ifrit blinked, looking over at the blue-haired woman with a somewhat boggled expression. Miranda just smiled. "Why do you think I've been trying to get you to relax? This will all work out if you think of it that way, so I've been wondering why my little sister's stressing herself and everyone else out when the main thing that you need to get right....is already happening."
"...and here I was ignoring you because you didn't seem to be taking this seriously," Ifrit said, resting her face in her hands. "Gods, have I been that bad?"
Miranda pursed her lips in thought, looking off in the distance. "....yeah, yeah, you were."
"Geeze, kick a girl while she's down," Ifrit chuckled.
"Just get through the ceremony without any meltdowns figurative or literal, and I promise to behave...within reason," Miranda laughed back.
***
"So, final preparations?" Sylia asked.
"Catering is done," Linna reported.
"Guests have been rounded up and herded into the chapel," Priss returned over her earpiece.
"Bride and groom are both in their dressing rooms and pretty much waiting for the signal," Neko advised.
"Right then," Sylia said, striding across the empty hallways to the changing rooms. "Let the festivities commence."
***
Just breath, Nene. Focus on that, despite the fact this tux seems to be designed for Sachie's disguise form rather than me... Nene noted to herself, refusing to lock up her legs as she looked down the aisle.
Sylia had come and gotten her, and the rest of the groom's party, shortly after she'd gotten everything checked out. In truth, she'd known that the wedding was going to go over just fine. And true enough, the chapel had looked absolutely gorgeous. Intended for peaceful meditation, the massive sun room featured a small indoor grove of trees and a babbling brook, crossed over by a simple stone bridge. But the festivities had transformed this simple room. White banners hung from either side in delicate loops, while an arch of flowers sat over the entryway and before the bridge itself. Seats had been laid out on either side around the brook, now occupied by the many guests in attendance not standing already by Nene on the island itself. Which was when the doors opened and everything stopped. Along with Nene's breathing.
Ifrit was normally stunning, the natural beauty that came to fae strong in her appearance regardless of whether she dressed herself up or simply hung around the house in a t-shirt. But what Sylia had done with that was incredible. The gown itself was backless, allowing her red and black wings free movement, and further accented by the mixed coloration of the gown itself. Long, open sleeves mostly obscured her hands, interlaced with crimson embroidery around the edges in overlapping, intertwining patterns. A silver bustier was held in place by criss-crossing crimson strings that tied the rest of the white gown together, accompanied by matching threaded embroidery about the base. A flashing red ruby necklace adorned her throat, while flecks of gold, white, and silver were worked through the veil, which even now barely concealed Ifrit's beaming face as she walked up the aisle.
However, Nene had only rarely been at a loss for words in her life, so in the moment of time left only to them as Ifrit stepped up into her place, she smiled impishly. "Nothing exploded?" she whispered, earning a reproachful but far too amused to be serious glare from her wife-to-be before they turned to podium.
Resplendent in white as brilliant as Ifrit's own gown, the former 16th President of the United States stood behind the podium, his finish specially treated for this occasion. Abraham Lincoln smiled at both of them before his stentorian voice reached out to the far ends of the chapel.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses, to join Nene Romanova and Ifrit Barnes in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all people..."
Nene barely heard the words as they went on. The entire ceremony and wording was probably wonderful and absolutely perfect, given they had, of all people, one of the most renowned orators in American history officiating, but she honestly wasn't paying attention to anything but the woman on the other side of the platform from her. If not for Ifrit obviously paying more attention than her and signaling her with a glance, Nene might have missed the part where she was supposed to start saying the vows entirely. Swallowing slightly, she began.
"Ifrit, you were....the first person I ever met after coming here. I owe everything I've had the chance to become to you, and even before now, you've been my partner, lover, and a mother to my daughter. You complete me in a way that, for someone who seems to have a quip at every corner, I'm at a loss to describe. And I can't imagine anything I'd rather do than spend the rest of our lives together, because you're the woman I love."
Ifrit smiled back at her as she nodded. "Nene, you're the light of my life. Every day I spend with you is more happy than I have any right to be. You make me laugh, make me smile....I felt that we had a connection since almost the moment we met, and doing this, here and now, is just the final step of something that was decided a long time ago. When I decided I'd be together with you for the rest of my life. Because I love you, and that's all that will ever matter to me."
"Do you have the rings?" Lincoln asked, as Nene smiled and took the box from Naoko. Taking hers, she slipped it onto Ifrit's hand. "With this ring, I thee wed, and pledge to you all the works of my heart, body, and mind."
Ifrit slid a ring onto her finger, returning the vow, as Lincoln nodded in turn to each of them. "By the power vested in me by these United States of America and the State of Rhode Island, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss the bride."
There may have been thunderous applause. Neither Nene nor Ifrit really noticed.
***
"You know, I'd never have expected that kind of wedding gift from a known arch-villain," Nene noted, glancing at the absolutely superb vintage of wine that had been included in the basket they'd received Mace MacHine and his date.
"Knowing Nogi, she probably hopped back a few centuries via Ouroborus and stole it. Possibly from herself," Ifrit chuckled.
"So pessimistic," she giggled.
"I call it 'pragmatic'. You can blame your old team leader. She's rubbing off on me," Ifrit responded with an upraised nose.
"Well, that's hardly a bad thing," Nene laughed. "After all, Sylia's the epitome of womanly grace and charm. Right, Priss?"
"Huh?" Priss blinked as she stopped, turning towards them. "Say what?"
"Ifrit and I were just talking about Sylia," Nene smiled, as Ifrit heard the tone in her voice that suggested Priss had left herself open to an ambush. "So, when are you two planning on making things official?"
"Official? What do you mean offici-...oh," she said as Nene waggled her ring finger at her, turning a slight shade of red. "I...dunno, really. I mean, it'd be nice, but there's so much going on lately. Especially thanks to a certain red-headed troublemaker," she smirked, catching her balance.
"Yes, well, you better hurry up. Otherwise Linna might get married before you do," Nene giggled.
"Psh, I ain't waitin' till the new Ice Age," Priss said.
"Hey!"
***
"You don't seriously expect trouble, do you?"
"Are you kidding? With this group? Someone's bound to start some."
Trouble? Sammy's ears twitched. The quiet tones of the people speaking and the general noise level in the packed room meant she couldn't tell who had spoken, but the meaning was clear: someone was trying to ruin Aunt Nene's wedding day!
"Problem, kitten?" Derrick rumbled in her ear. She shook her head even as she pushed away from his bare chest. As they broke contact, his glamour kicked in for her again, hiding his sleek muscles from her view behind the appearance of a full, ornate tuxedo. She sighed happily and would have pressed in close again, but her conscience tapped firmly on her shoulder and reminded her why she'd pulled away from him in the first place.
"No, no problem, nothing's wrong," she said hurriedly. "I just, um, I forgot something that I need to take care of I'll be right back don't go anywhere okay?"
Before he could raise another protest, Sammy darted forward, planted a quick kiss on Derrick's amused face, and then faded back into the crowd as quickly and smoothly as only cats could. She weaved through the dancers as her ears flattened of their own accord.
Nobody but nobody was going to ruin Aunt Nene's wedding day if Sammy had anything to say about it. She flexed her fingers, letting her claws slide out and retract, and narrowed her eyes. First things first: she had to find out who had spoken. She felt sure if she heard them again she'd remember the voice, and even if she still had no idea who it was, she'd be able to follow them. She could follow anybody! Not by smell, though, not in here, not today. Too many perfumes and colognes and food smells and sweaty dancers and turned-on dancers and other distracting odors like the yummy sushi trays being carried by the waiters and --
"Look, it's starting!"
"Don't stand too close, I don't want to get caught in the middle."
There! Sammy prowled forward, pushing through the crowd. Now that she'd heard them again, she had no problem cutting their voices out of the crowd -- though, frustratingly, she still didn't recognize them.
"... she's holding it like a grenade."
"JUST like a grenade. And whoever the poor sap it that it hits... kaboom!"
Sammy growled, low under her breath. Any second now she'd be able to see who was talking -- and shred them. She wasn't going to let ANYBODY, she didn't care who it was, even if it was that white-haired big scary lady Aunt Nene liked so much, ruin her aunt's wedding day!
The crowd around her let out a roar, and she glanced up, distracted from the hunt. An errant elbow caught her above the eyes, knocking her glasses askew. She caught them as they fell, instinctively, even as her attention was riveted on the small object arcing through the air towards the crowd around her -- an object that was oddly-shaped and tumbling and had bits of -- was that smoke? -- trailing from the end oh no it's the grenade I've got to stop it!
Sammy leaped, her legs carrying her clear of the crowd in an eyeblink. She twisted in midair, instinctively using her tail for additional leverage, and with her free hand snagged the grenade before it could go off.
"DON'T WORRY, I GOT IT!" she yelled as she landed. She spun to hurl it out the nearest window, into a garbage can, under a table, wherever it could go off without --
Huh, Sammy thought, blinking. That doesn't feel like a grenade...
She put her glasses back on and looked down at the object in her hand. A slightly-mangled bouquet stared forlornly back up at her.
The hall was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
"Um," Sammy said, color rising on her cheeks. "Uhhhh..."
"I think that's the first time I've seen her speechless," Nene remarked in a very loud whisper from where she stood, grinning, next to her bride.
The gathered women -- heroes, villains, civilians, and indescribable genetic aberrations alike -- who had been waiting to take their chances at catching the toss glared collectively at Sammy, her prodigious leap having propelled her far out into the open, ahead of their group.
"A-aunt Nene?" Sammy managed, looking up. "I, uh, I thought it was ... I thought... um..."
"Derrick, there you are!" Ifrit said, stepping forward and taking Sammy by an elbow and shoulder and leading the dazed catgirl back towards her boyfriend, who for his part had an inscrutable mix of surprise, confusion, and... anticipation? on his face. "I think Sammy needs a drink. She's gone... catatonic."
Behind her bride, Nene groaned. So did half the assembled guests, at least all those in hearing range.
"Bouquet?" Sammy asked. "I caught the bouquet?"
"Yep," Nene replied.
"But I thought it was a grenade," Sammy said plaintively.
Ifrit and Nene shared a Look.
"Don't ask," Nene warned with a slight shake of her head. "Remember the mousse?"
Alice popped up out of nowhere, causing Sammy to jump a little. "Well, well, well," she teased, grinning at her sister. "Honestly, Sammy, I hadn't thought you were in that much of a hurry to ditch the streets for a colla-- OW!"
"Alice, come help me with the recieving line, hmm?" Ifrit's eyes were only lightly smoldering -- she wasn't in a bad mood, apparently -- but her fingers were closed firmly on her daughter's ear. Alice managed a pained nod.
"Yes, mum! Ow!"
"Derrick?" Sammy mewed, her eyes wide. "I caught the bouquet! I didn't mean to! I thought it was a grenade because these people were talking about a kaboom and then it came flying towards the crowd and I couldn't see it clearly and --"
"Sammy?"
"-- and then I -- yes?"
Derrick dropped smoothly to one knee, looking up at Sammy and holding her hand in his own. Nene grinned hugely. Neko let out a startled gasp. Sammy stared. This wasn't happening he couldn't be doing what he looked like he was doing right they hadn't even talked about that sort of thing and besides he had--
"I've been thinking about this for a while now," Derrick admitted. "This seems as good an opportunity as any. Kitten, will you marry me?"
Sammy let out an involuntary mew as her tail went straight and stiff. Her ears shot up, her eyes widened, and for a moment her mouth worked inaudibly as the words piled up in a massive traffic jam on her tongue. Finally she managed to nod.
"Twice in one day," Nene noted, chuckling to herself.
Sammy stared down at the ring Derrick held, then back up at his face. Her smile threatened to split her face. She dropped the bouquet and all but pounced, hugging Derrick tightly. The dam broke, then, and words began to pour out, so fast that nobody save perhaps another speedster might be able to recognize them. Almost as fast as they'd started, they stopped, and Derrick found himself holding a passed-out catgirl.
"What just happened?" he asked nobody in particular.
"If I had to guess," Neko replied, taking one of Sammy's wrists in hand and timing her pulse, "you've got a grade-A case of forgetting to breathe, there."
They all shared a laugh.
***
The reception had turned out absolutely perfect, a culmination to a perfect ceremony. Sylia sat back, smiling gently as she watched the caterers cooking the latest round of food requests in the kitchen, with at least one of the guests, a Miss Tokiha, having jumped in to lend a hand as well to deal with possible overflow. Nene was currently sitting with Ifrit, along with Priss and Linna, and looked absolutely content amongst her family and friends. Sammy was nearby, being somewhat restrained by Alice to keep the incredibly happy catgirl from literally bouncing from one spot to another. All in all, the wedding was a smashing success. Stepping away from the rest of the group for a moment, she glanced up as a man in a sharply cut suit and unusual silver hair walked up to her.
"Miss Stingray?"
"Yes?"
The man smiled slightly. "Just a pleasure to meet you. I had no idea that a businesswoman of your caliber was a friend of the bride when Naoko asked me if I could attend with her."
Sylia chuckled. "Yes, I sometimes forget my reputation precedes me. I'm sorry, but I don't believe I know your name."
"Maximillian Largo, Miss Stingray. As I said, a pleasure," he smiled, before stepping back into the throng. Sylia watched after him, before shaking her head. Strange man...
***
"So, all's well that ends well?" Nene asked, watching the cleanup from a distance.
"I think so, yes, even with the surprises," Ifrit agreed, head leaned against her.
"You're going to have to-"
"To tell Miranda she was right, I know," Ifrit said, cutting her off with a rueful smile. "She was. I was just..."
"Getting a touch too fired up," Nene giggled, receiving a playful swat on her arm from Ifrit.
"Oh, just kick me while I'm down, why don't you?" she grumbled bemusedly.
Nene chuckled, leaning against the pillar and just enjoying the moment and the feel of Ifrit against her shoulder. For all that it had been a rather colossal undertaking from their perspective starting out, the wedding was done....and Nene wasn't sad to see it end. She much preferred being the "married couple" to the "affianced couple" in terms of responsibilities. Still, she sighed somewhat.
"Something the matter?" Ifrit asked, looking up at her without moving her head.
"Not really...just kind of....homesick, in a weird way," Nene said. "Even if I know that there's no one really missing this back home because they didn't lose me, per se...I kinda wish Mama were here to see this."
Ifrit nodded. "I know how you feel. On some level, I know that Mom never really knew me, and that all those memories are based off someone else. But I kind of wish she was here too. But the important people were here...and still are. Especially you," she said, cuddling in.
"Guess so," Nene smiled softly, before standing up. "C'mon...we've got a honeymoon to get to," she said.
Ifrit smiled, getting up and following Nene as they avoided cleaning workers and stepped into the telepad's containment field. A brief flash and they were in the Riot base and far from the current bustle. Nene grinned as a thought came to her as she keyed in the new teleport destination, before she tapped her latent powers just slightly. Ifrit blinked as she felt like a gust of wind had passed under her, before Nene scooped her up into her arms. She blinked, looking at Nene.
"I believe this is traditional," the redhead smiled, kissing her briefly.
"...if not, it's good enough as it is," Ifrit responded after a moment's thought, leaning her head against Nene's shoulder again as the teleporter engaged.
Nene had to agree. Whatever happened, this was good enough.
More than good enough.
***
Dedicated (Despite Ironic Delays) to Unicorna, for Waiting Six Years for Me to Finally Pop the Question.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
Sylia chuckled softly as she moved down to the waist. "You have every reason to be singing, admittedly. The wedding itself is this weekend. Though I imagine some of us were wondering why you were waiting so long."
"Not like she's getting cold feet with Ifrit warming them beside her every night," Priss chuckled from her position lounging on a couch nearby. Nene stuck her tongue out at the singer before Sylia pushed her head forward again.
"Well, the Christmas date seemed appropriate." Nene smiled slightly. "The honeymoon's going to be just a step away, thanks to the teleporter setup that Katy managed for us. So we can go, take a week, and be back without much trouble."
"And send someone back for anything you forgot, since both of you are likely to forget something," Linna chuckled. This time, Nene didn't get a chance to move before Sylia physically held her in place, though she gestured eloquently with her free hand, getting a laugh from both the girls.
"So out of curiousity, who did get the wedding dress?" Linna asked.
"Ifrit," Nene pouted. "It's why I have to get measured for a tux."
"How'd you end up deciding who got to wear the dress?" Priss asked curiously.
"Flipped a coin," Nene noted with a sigh. "Sadly, an arena duel wouldn't be a fair competition and Ifrit's not much of a video gamer...."
"Meaning she didn't let you stack the odds," Linna laughed.
"Pretty much," Nene sulked, getting another laugh as Sylia smiled slightly, marking down another measurement.
***
"You did get all the invitations out, right?" Ifrit asked as Nene sighed.
"Yes," she said with a long suffering voice. "I said I'd take care of them and I did. I'll have you know we've nearly filled the Legendary Base to capacity. Any more and we'd have to pick a different venue or allow people into sections that are closed off for security reasons."
"Well, I didn't want to miss anyone," Ifrit noted fretfully.
Nene chuckled, putting an arm around her. "Given we've invited half of Paragon already, I think we're safe."
"You're sure?" Ifrit said, not willing to give up the problem just yet.
Nene chuckled. "It's computers, hon. That's my area of expertise."
***
"-and a guest are cordially invited to celebrate the marriage of Ifrit Barnes and Nene Romanova, Friday the twenty-fifth of December at 6PM, at the Legendary Supergroup base's chapel. A reception will follow in the social hall of the base," Daley read, looking over the invitation, before looking up at Leon. "And guest, huh? Care to be my date, Leon?" he noted with a raised eyebrow.
Leon just shook his head. "I'm dating one of the bridesmaids. I think it's in bad form, somehow."
"Yes, probably not a good idea to show up on someone else's arm while your girlfriend's on the stage," Daley concurred. "Sends the wrong message."
***
Douglas Q. Sangnoir had dealt with a variety of unusual situations in his time. He'd fought the cybernetic avatar of a man that had turned an entire world into his playthings. He'd wrestled with gods and demons. He'd seen things most people would barely dream possible. Yet this current situation had to take the cake, if only for recursive coincidence.
"You want me to what?" he asked, looking at the dark skinned blonde sitting in front of him in confusion.
Lisa laughed at his expression before leaning forward. "I asked if you minded accompanying me to Nene's wedding. The invitation says 'and guest', and I know you got one too. I'd rather not show up solo, but I really don't know anyone else I would take to this sort of thing." She grinned as she cut off his growing protest. "It's not a romantic date, Doug. Honestly. Think of it as being my wingman if you will, 'Colonel'."
"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" Doug sighed, looking at her with a faint expression of bemused resignation.
"Nope, and the sooner you catch up with the rest of the class, the sooner we can get you fitted for a proper suit," Lisa said with a smile.
***
"I wish I could come." Dani sighed as she sat across the table from Allison in the Architect booth. "I'd love to meet your friends....another problem with being stuck in here."
Allison smiled slightly. She'd been waiting for this one. "You can, actually."
Dani looked up at her, giving her a 'not funny' look that wilted as she remembered Ally wasn't the teasing type. "What do you mean?"
"The Legendary base has a full on telepresence system for its base AI. I think they can arrange a way for you to share space." Ally smiled, rather self satisfied.
Dani blinked, considering that, before her face burst into a wide grin.
***
"If you could make it, it'd mean a lot to me. I know it's a bit hard given you kind of stand out," Nene noted, absently toying with a toothpick in one corner of her mouth as she looked over the interior of the computer tower she was working on.
"Hn. I think I can find a way."
"Don't mind standing for me on stage and everything?" Nene asked, hopeful.
"Need disguise practice anyway."
"Of course," she chuckled, reattaching the power cable to the hard drive. "Thanks though, you're a peach."
"Cherry blossom," came the amused reply.
"Oh, a pun. You are in a good mood."
***
Tuesday
***
"Lisa! You've got to help me! I don't know what to wear!" Rhea cried, bursting in to the other redhead's bedroom. Lisa looked up from where she was organizing her own clothes on her spacious bed, and grinned.
"Isn't that supposed to be my line?"
"That's not funny!"
"Relax, Rhea. We already picked out what you were wearing, remember? We had the fittings two weeks ago, and the tailor said they're ready to pick up any time. So what's the problem?"
Rhea shook her head, causing her hair to fly wildly about. "No, silly! I'm not worried about the wedding!" She leaned forward, her eyes intent, resting her hands on the foot of the bed. "I'm talking about for the bachelorette party!" A quizzical look came over her face and she cocked her head, frowning. "Come to think of it, I don't know which of them is really the bachelorette -- but it doesn't matter. I've got everything lined up, except what I'm wearing!"
Lisa held up her hands. "Whoa, slow down. This is the first I've heard of a bachelorette party. Now, what's going on?"
"Well, you know... a party?" Rhea laughed a little. "What's her name, that big ninja lady Nene always hangs out with--"
"Sachie Hanagawa," Lisa put in.
"-- right, her, she's handling Nene's bachelorette party, I think. But nobody seems to be planning anything for Ifrit, so I decided to surprise her. But now I don't know what to wear!"
Lisa chuckled. "That's probably the least of your worries. Are you sure she'll be able to make it? It's right before her wedding, after all. She's probably booked solid."
Rhea frowned. "I didn't think about that," she admitted. "You think this means I'll need to tell the dancers not to show up after all?"
"... let me make a couple of calls."
A few calls and nearly a half-hour later, Lisa set down the phone and returned to the bedroom. "Well, there's good news and bad news."
Rhea nodded. "Okay, hit me."
"The bad news is, Ifrit -- and the rest of the wedding party, I checked -- is busy, booked solid, completely overwhelmed and unable to make anything, not even a coffee session, until after the wedding." She grimaced and rubbed at her ear. "I got a minor chewing out just for asking, in fact. So I don't think there'll be a party for them."
"Awww," Rhea pouted.
"The good news is, there's a few dozen people who are in town for the wedding, have nothing to do, and are making nuisances of themselves trying to 'help' organize the wedding. Ifrit's been smoldering a lot and the maid of honor is under orders to, and I quote, 'not let her torch any guests', unquote." Lisa grinned and her eyes twinkled a bit. "So you and I are going down to Second Skin to find you something to wear after all."
Rhea brightened. "So... no bachelorette party, but we still get to have a party?"
Lisa nodded. "If you promise to keep the guests occupied until the main event starts, the Legendary will even donate Mag as a bartender and master of ceremonies."
"We'll need to take pictures for Ifrit," Rhea mused.
"You mentioned dancers?"
"Only the best!"
"... I didn't know you knew any dancers."
"Oh, I don't, personally. But Terr spends so much time down at the D that he's got cards from all of them, pretty much."
"He does, does he?" Lisa's voice was edged with a low growl.
Rhea laughed and leaned over to kiss Lisa on the cheek. "Relax. He blushes a lot and mumbles something about being taken when they come on to him. He's not dumb enough to cheat on you. Besides," she added, grinning, "more than half the cards are from the male dancers, and you know how Terr reacts to that."
Lisa chuckled. "Point. But just to be on the safe side, we're making him deliver the invitations."
"And check ID's at the door."
"ID's?"
"Lisa. The dancers ARE from the D, you know." Rhea wrapped her arm around her girlfriend and trailed fingers down Lisa's side. "And it was meant to be a bachelorette party..."
"... maybe we should have extra security on hand, just in case."
Rhea laughed. "Oooh, men in uniform! Now about the outfit, I'm thinking nothing says bachelorette party like leather..."
***
"Okay then," Neko said, studying her dress in the mirror. "I think I can get through this without a fashion disaster," she concluded, satisfied that she'd been able to hide both her shield generator and sword in her gown.
"Lucky you," Alice grumbled, fidgeting in her dress. "This thing's too damn uncomfortable." Inyme glanced up from her book, and a brief telekinetic touch made some minor adjustments to the outfit. "... Huh. That's better. Thanks sweetie." Inyme smiled faintly as Sammy giggled. "And don't you start."
The other catgirl grinned back at her. "About what?" she asked. "The fact that your girlfriend, who spends almost all her time in uniforms and jumpsuits, does a better job of managing a dress then you? Or the fact that your tail is going to get caught again no matter what you-"
"I said don't start, and sure as hell don't continue," she growled, ears going flat. Sammy merely grinned wider as she turned her attention back to her own dress, humming a cheerful little tune. There was a long pause, then Inyme stiffened slightly, right before Sammy looked at her. "Can we see your dress? Please pretty please?"
"No," Inyme replied.
"Why not?"
"I'm reading a book."
"But-"
"It's a good book," she added, turning a page. Sammy frowned, and was planning on continuing her requests/pestering, only to be interrupted as Ifrit stormed in, eyes blazing, the air around her hands smoldering with heat. "Oh dear," the Rikti said quietly as they watched the fey growl and run her hands through her hair. Alice frowned, then glanced back out the doorway to see Robin chasing Miranda off with sharp words and wildly waving hands.
The warshade retreated, the confused smile on her face suggesting she really didn't understand what the issue was, and Robin lowered her hands, taking a deep breath. Then she turned and walked over to where Alice was watching with a raised eyebrow and leaned past her. "It's okay Ifrit," she reassured her twin sister. "Mir's been chased off. You don't need to burn anyone."
"Not even a small burn?" she asked hopefully. Sammy and Alice glanced at each other, sharing a concerned look.
"She wouldn't understand," Robin pointed out with a wry smile. "She thinks she's helping."
"We don't need help," the fey growled. "We especially don't need help in rearranging the lighting and decorations in the chapel from someone that thinks flashing beams of near solid light are pretty!"
Neko frowned slightly. "We're altering the lighting?"
"No, we're not!" Ifrit snapped, the temperature in the room spiking up almost five degrees. "That's finally all arranged and sorted, and we're not messing with it!"
"'frit, just take a deep breath," Robin said softly. "You're right. We don't need to change anything there. It's going to be fine." Ifrit glared at her for a moment, then sighed and dropped onto the couch. "It'll all be over soon," she promised. "Just a few more days."
"God... We should have just eloped," Ifrit sighed. "It would have been so much easier."
Her feline sister smiled faintly, sitting down next to her. "You'd regret it later," she reminded her.
"I know," she replied, closing her eyes. "But not right now. Not right now." She sat there for a moment, then sighed. "We've got to call the caterers, double check they're on schedule."
"Yeah," Robin agreed. "You sit down and catch your breath. I'll handle that," she said, patting Ifrit's hand as she stood up. Alice dropped onto the couch where Robin had been sitting, putting a reassuring arm over her mother's shoulder. The fey smiled weakly at her.
***
Wednesday
***
Ifrit dialed the number that Nene'd given her, absently wondering if this was just a ploy by her fiancee' to get the "bridezilla" out of the way for a bit while they handled things. Still, catering had to be done anyway, so she supposed she'd let Nene get away with it.
"Hello! Chao Bao Zi Restaurant! The Chinese restaurant of the future! How can I help you?" a cheery voice answered on the second ring.
"Ah, yes, my name's Ifrit Barnes, and I was wondering if you did large scale catering? I'm looking to set up a wide variety for a wedding," Ifrit said, frowning. A Chinese restaurant?
"We can do much catering! How many guests do you expect?"
Ifrit frowned. "Probably about several hundred or so."
"Alright. When do you need the orders?"
"Um....this weekend. By 6PM."
"Right! It will be ready immediately! Your teleport beacon should arrive in the mail tomorrow. Just place it in the location for the reception when ready, and the rest will be handled."
"Really?" Ifrit said, dubiously looking at the phone. "Just like that?"
"Chao Bao Zi has specialized in this sort of thing for generations," the chipper voice noted over the phone. "We guarantee satisfaction or your money back."
"Well, I suppose so then..." Ifrit said. It was only after the other end hung up that she blinked at the phone.
"Wait....generations...?"
***
"No."
"Aww, please?"
"No."
"Just a liiiiittle mischief? I promise not to interrupt the ceremony!"
"No."
"Mouuuu, you're usually more fun, Sacchan," Inari pouted, ears flattening a touch as she looked at her lover.
Sachie merely impassively returned the look, as immovable as a cliff face and about as sympathetic to Inari's pleas. "They hired me for security, and that means preventing mischief. Even yours."
Inari pouted again before a sly look slid into her features. "I don't suppose I could bribe security?" she smiled, leaning in close and running her fingers along Sachie's chest before they were caught in one hand -- delicately, compared to what Inari knew Sachie capable of. Her lover's smile was bemused.
"Outbid that too."
"Your other woman is no fun," Inari mock-pouted, earning a slightly wider smirk from Sachie.
***
"Catering?"
"Confirmed."
"Decorations?"
"All done."
"Seating arrangements?"
"We need to look at it one more time," Ifrit said. Nene sighed. "I know, but someone tried rearranging it and put Gaussian and Dietrich next to each other."
Nene winced. "Ohhh... that's a brilliant idea," she said dryly. "Why are we inviting her anyway?"
"Because when she's not in a snit, she's perfectly fine," Ifrit replied. "And when she's not dealing with Vanguard, she's not in a snit. It's a simple solution." She rolled her eyes. "That means rearranging the seating plans again... tomorrow." She smiled as she finished undressing and slid into bed next to Nene. "It can all wait until tomorrow."
Nene nodded in satisfaction. "Damn right it can," she agreed, using the chance to cuddle. "Right now, we can just relax." Her soon-to-be-wife (Oh so soon) chuckled and buried her face in Nenes hair. "And you wanted to elope yesterday," she teased.
"It was tempting, if only to get away from Mir," she replied with a shudder. "But in the end, this will definitely be worth it."
"It's the engineer in her."
"You sure it's not the squid?" Ifrit wondered, then giggled as Nene tickled her. "Hey!"
"Sounding a little too like Robin there." Nene grinned and pressed her advantage.
***
Thursday
***
"I'm not going to do it," Linna declared, arms crossed. "Sorry, Sylia, but you couldn't pay me enough."
"I can't! You know it won't happen if I'm the one that goes," Nene protested.
Sylia sighed. "I know it's hard, but there has to be someone better qualified than me."
"Sorry, boss, but you're just the best at what you do," Linna said.
"....I suppose you're right. And it has to be done," Sylia said, before taking a deep breath and walking into the lioness' den. "Priss...honey..." she started.
Priss gave her a sour look at the addition on the end. "No. I refuse. I am not going up there in a dress. Nene's wearing a suit, why can't I wear a suit?"
"Because you'd be the only one who was, and it'd throw the entire visual look of the wedding party off," she said calmly.
"Then have someone else wear a suit besides me too. I'm sure there's someone else in the bridal party that'd want to avoid wearing a circus tent," Priss replied, frowning.
Sylia didn't react even though she knew Miranda would be just happy to fill that slot, but Priss didn't know that, so it was bluster rather than strategy on her part. Still, arguing logic with her wasn't likely to get anywhere with her at this point. Priss was quicker witted than most would suppose, and Sylia didn't have time to slowly work her around. Which left playing her trump card. "You've worn a dress before. Enjoyed it even, as I recall," she pointed out with a smile.
Priss looked back at her uncomfortably, almost betrayed. "That was...that was different. It was because I was doing it for you..."
"Then do it for me again now, and more importantly, for Nene. This is her special day....and you don't want to mess that up for something this small, do you?" Sylia asked, gently, even as she saw the flicker of indecision in Priss's face indicating her resolve was wobbling.
"Well, I..."
"I promise, I won't let you make a fool of yourself by tripping over it. I am designing the dresses, after all."
Priss looked at her, then sighed deeply, slouching in defeat. "Fine....I guess I can do that for you....and for Nene. But she's gonna owe me."
"I'm sure I can balance both our bills once this is over," Sylia said. "The only difference between a honeymoon and a vacation is that one comes after a wedding after all," she noted with a small smile.
Priss blinked at that, and Sylia could see the gears spin in her head for about half a second before she actually blushed. "Yeah, I guess that'd work...." she said with a cough.
Sylia smiled slightly wider, putting an arm around her. "Let's get to measuring then, shall we? I doubt yours have changed, but it's best to be sure...."
Priss shook her head with a chuckle as Nene turned around to open the door to the changing room. "Hey, Robin!"
"Yeah?"
"Situation green, no problems here."
"Oh, thank god. If there'd been another, I think we'd have been risking seeing how fireproof Priss was...."
***
"So, I've been talking to some of the Infamous," Colonel Morgan said as he leaned back, resting his beer on the rooftop next to him. "There's a few people expressing interest in the usual 'perfect moment for vengeance' nonsense." Next to him, the rather uninteresting looking man raised an eyebrow slightly. "Then they were informed by several other people that they would react rather poorly to any co-workers or allies attacking a wedding to which they'd been invited."
Sell-Sword nodded slightly. "And the security Isles side?"
"All in place, as we discussed." He chuckled slightly. "Anyone foolish enough to try anything after past demonstrations of Riot's policy in regards to 'personal' attacks isn't going to have long enough to regret it." He sipped at his beer. "So. Where are you going to be?"
"I've got a few possible sniper nests," the mercenary replied simply. Morgan merely chuckled, looking back out over Steel Canyon.
***
Ifrit looked over the chapel as her sensitive ears heard the last lights being shut down amongst public areas of the Legendary base in preparation for the event tomorrow. The wedding rehearsal had gone well in spite of the absence of a couple of the particulars. Nene had assured her that it'd be handled, though, and the fae had learned to trust her fiancee in such matters. Especially when backed by as much effort as their collective families.
"That's the last of it...before tomorrow, anyway," Nene said, walking up behind her. "Almost through. You ready?"
Ifrit laughed, turning around to lean against her. "You really have to ask that question?"
"Of course," Nene returned with a smile, putting her arms around the fae's waist. "It's some kind of pre-wedding rule."
Ifrit smiled, leaning against her for a long moment, as the silence stretched between them, before Nene looked down at her again. "Now c'mon. Sammy and Alice are fidgeting about Christmas presents," she chuckled.
Ifrit laughed. "Of course...let's go."
***
Friday
***
"Well, all the bridesmaids are arranged. As well as the....groomswomen or whatever we're calling them," Nene said. "Thanks for being willing to be my...whatever one calls a female best man, Naoko." She smiled at her friend.
Naoko smiled back. "It's no trouble at all. I'm just honored you picked me instead of one of the others..."
"You're my best friend, Naoko, why wouldn't I pick you?" Nene said with a friendly clap on the shoulder. "Now if our last groomswoman gets here, we'll have the entire bridal part-"
"NENE-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!" a high-pitched voice suddenly cried. It literally set many canine ears flat in pain, those that were within its range.
Nene blinked before instinctively bracing herself as a long, white-haired girl glomped her from a run, nearly bowling Nene over in the process. She caught herself as she looked down at the silver-eyed girl, who was even now beaming at her.
"Ah...hi there..." Nene said, struggling for a name, before the smiling face of the girl flattened for just a second and Nene's eyes widened. "No way...." she blinked.
"Haaaiiii!" The-girl-who-was-not-and-yet-was-Sachie grinned. "I just couldn't believe how long the flight took to get here, Nene-chan. I was sooo impatient to get here because you're getting married!" she practically squealed, sending Nene's internal processing unit into something resembling "TILT".
"Nene-chan?" Naoko asked, blinking. Nene 'grrk'ed and forced herself to think up a story quick.
"Ah, yes, she's a friend of mine from back near my old duty station, Naoko. This is..." she grasped vaguely for a name. "Saychan, a friend of mine from my old precinct."
"Munakato Sayo, Naoko-san. Please treat me kindly." Saychan beamed.
Naoko blinked, before giggling slightly at the smaller girl that barely came past even the rather petite Nene's chest in height. "Pleased to meet you, Saychan."
"I'm very happy to meet you as well, Naoko-san. Nene-chan's told me so much about you!" Saychan grinned, bowing politely.
"Saychan's our missing groomswoman, Naoko, so I suppose we can finally get her to Sylia to make sure her dress is appropriately set. Thankfully, Saychan's been to enough weddings in her family that us doing the rehersal ahead of time won't put her off," Nene nodded with a chuckle.
After Naoko excused herself to see to something or other, Nene nodded and looked back at the younger girl. "You're evil. Rotten to the core," she laughed, tousling the shorter girl's hair and getting a smirk in response.
"Villain."
"Hn," Nene replied with a smug smile, eliciting another grin from the other girl.
***
Rhea rotated her neck and stretched out a few kinks, then resumed peering through the rangefinder binoculars from the roof of a skyscraper at the entrance to the Legendary base. For the wedding, the city had thrown up a temporary teleportal, rather than force everyone to mingle at the public ones. Rhea suspected Sword and large wads of cash had had something to do with that, but she wasn't sure, and didn't much care. It made their job easier, for which she was grateful.
Security detail for the wedding was not, she thought, the way she'd have chosen to spend the day -- but it paid, and it gave her something to do that would keep her from running into her twin; good enough.
A familiar face caught her eye and she sucked in a sharp breath. "Bearing one-oh-six, two hundred fifty meters: mark!" she hissed. Next to her, Sword smoothly swung the sights of his sniper rifle over the target she'd called out to him. She felt rather than saw him tense.
"Lady Nogitsune," he confirmed, his tone neutral as ever. She frowned. She hadn't dealt much with the Queen Bitch of the Infamous herself, and neither had Emerald so far as she knew, but everybody knew who she was and had heard horror stories of what she was capable of. What was she doing here?
Through the binoculars, their target laughed politely at something her companion had just said to her -- the man was blocked by a telephone pole and Rhea couldn't get a clear view of his face, just his general outline -- and paused. The woman turned her head slowly, raising her chin...
... looking straight at them, Rhea realized with a sinking feeling. "Are we flashing?" she wondered aloud. "I think she sees us..."
"Negative," Sword replied. "Non-reflective optics." He didn't, she noted, address whether Nogitsune could see them or not, however.
A soft throat-clearing sounded from behind them. Rhea rolled and leaped to her feet, Sword mirroring her movements in the opposite direction.
Rhea blinked.
A ninja, straight out of the movies, stood facing them -- though this one was very definitely female underneath the dark garments. She carried a large covered basket in her hands.
"My lady sends her regards," the ninja began softly. "She requests that you enjoy this humble gift as you go about your duties." With that, she set the basket down, bowed, and took a step to the side, behind an air-conditioning unit. Rhea glanced at Sword, then edged to the side to get a better angle, and saw nothing. The rooftop was empty save for them.
"Okay, that's creepy," she said.
Sword nodded.
Rhea opened the basket gingerly, half-expecting a bomb or something similar, and saw a neatly-packed, if decidedly old-fashioned, picnic lunch and -- she sniffed at the spout -- pot of tea.
Sword looked at the contents, then removed his helmet and set it aside. He settled back into his snipers nest and glanced back over his shoulder.
"Is it safe?" Rhea wondered, poking at the delicious-smelling cloth-wrapped buns.
"Yes," Sword said flatly. "Nogitsune isn't one we have to worry about today."
"What do you mean?"
"It's simple," he replied, taking the pot from her and pouring himself a cup. "She would never be so crass as to attack an event she was invited to. This is her way of demonstrating that."
"I... see," Rhea said, though she really didn't. She shrugged and unwrapped a bun, taking a healthy bite. If Sword wasn't worried, then she didn't need to. She leaned forward and picked up her binoculars again.
"Hellion," she mumbled around the food in her mouth, and hastily swallowed. "Behind the Dumpster, at one-oh--"
Sword's rifle coughed. A second later, the Hellion crumpled.
"-- nice shot."
***
"Psst!"
Nene frowned and turned away from the mirror where she was adjusting her hair -- and more importantly, stealing a few minutes of quiet time while the wedding preparations whirled around her like a hurricane. She'd been enjoying the relative quiet, but she would have sworn she just heard --
"Psst!"
-- there it was again!
"Okay, come on out," she said firmly. She'd half-expected something unusual to happen, though she supposed an assassination attempt wouldn't begin with the assassin hissing for her attention -- even assuming one could get by Sachie undetected.
Alice poked her head out from between several layers of garments hanging on the rolling clothes rack Sylia had provided. "Momma Nene, we've got trouble!"
"Of course we do," Nene sighed. "What is it and why can't it wait until after the honeymoon?"
"It's Sammy," Alice said, sighing. "Neko and I can't get near her and it'd be a REAL bad idea for Derrick to approach her right now. And even I don't want to embarrass her THIS much... it needs to stay in the family."
Nene frowned. Catgirls... "What'd she do, hit the punch too early?"
"Worse," Alice replied, shaking her head. "Come with me and I'll show you."
Blinking, Nene shrugged and rose. She followed Alice through a service door, down a short hall, past the back of the stage where it sounded like a full-scale construction project was underway, and through a hastily arranged maze of partitions where the rest of the wedding party were to change. On a few occasions, Alice stopped and held up a hand to indicate that Nene should wait while someone passed by, just out of sight.
Finally, they reached a storage room. Neko was there, wearing her human guise and looking worried. Alice indicated the door. "Through there," she said. "We shouldn't get any closer. This is too close already." A shudder ran through her fur.
Nene glanced at the two of them, then -- feeling somewhat apprehensive -- approached and opened the door. The smell of flowers wafted out as it opened, and both Alice and Neko backed up several steps.
"MMmmmmm," said a very familiar voice from inside. Nene looked down.
Sammy lay sprawled in the middle of a pile of flowers. Her eyes were unfocused, with her pupils hugely dilated, and a low buzzing vibration echoed quietly off the walls. Nene had heard her adopted daughter purr before, but never so loudly as this. As Nene watched, Sammy twisted -- the only phrase that Nene could think of was 'catlike' -- and rubbed her face on her impromptu bedding, a low moan of pleasure escaping her lips.
"Sammy?" Nene wondered aloud.
"It's the honeysuckle," Neko put in from behind. "It's like catnip. Florists sometimes use it as filler decoration. Sammy was just trying to help. She came down here to start bringing up the flower arrangements from Dr. Isley, and, well..."
"You see?" Alice added, one hand covering her nose and mouth, though by the way her tail was twitching Nene guessed it wasn't helping much. "Someone needs to drag her out of there and sober her up."
"We hate bothering you," Neko said, "but I think it's safe to say that if we got Derrick to do it, Sammy wouldn't make the wedding." She colored lightly. "She appears to be one of the ones who are... amorously affected, let's say."
"The 'nip makes her horny," Alice supplied helpfully, earning a quick glare from Neko. "What? It's true. I'm the same."
"Really..." Neko said, eyes narrowing in consideration.
Alice paused, blushing. "Ummm.... yeah." Her eyes unfocused slightly, either from a memory or a daydream.
"I shouldn't be as amused as I am by this, should I?" Nene noted, trying to suppress her grin.
"Mmm, Derrick," Sammy put in.
"Before this goes any further," Neko began, but Nene waved her off.
"I've got it, don't worry. Clear a path back to my changing room, would you?" She faced the squirming catgirl directly. "C'mon, little miss Nips-A-Lot." Nene gathered Sammy's mostly-limp form up, took a moment to tug the girl's skirt back down so she wasn't flashing whoever might happen by, and carried the softly-mewling catgirl back to her dressing room. Alice and Neko went ahead, and by the time Nene arrived, had converted the couch into a makeshift bed. Nene deposited Sammy there and stood looking down at her charge for a moment.
"She'll be okay soon enough," Neko said helpfully. "With luck she won't remember it at all."
"Are you kidding?" Alice snorted. "You think I'm going to let blackmail material like this pass by?"
"Now, Alice," Neko began sternly, but Nene interrupted.
"This is awesome!" she cried. Neko and Alice twitched and turned to regard her in shock. "Don't you get it?" Nene went on, looking up at them. "When the time comes, we have the perfect honeymoon present for Derrick."
There was a stunned silence. Then:
"Momma, you're awful," Alice said between giggles.
"... I believe I know just the florist," Neko added, a twinkle in her eye.
***
"Nene, we have a problem," Miranda noted over the small two-way radios that Nene had set into everyone's outfits before the wedding party began letting people in, and Nene sighed. She was done herself, but Ifrit was still in the back changing room, and refusing to jinx the wedding anymore by being seen by Nene before the ceremony. Frankly, given it got Ifrit out of the way while letting Nene smoothly cut her out of the information loop so her love wouldn't get worked up over minor details in the minutes before it actually happened, Nene was all too grateful to indulge in meaningless superstition. But she'd hoped that they could prevent further minor disasters given the guests were arriving at this point.
After she finished greeting the chief and his daughter, a rather pretty redhead that Nene could've sworn she'd seen somewhere before, she put the receiver up to her mouth. "What is it now, Miranda?"
"Ah, we've got a guest who's brought along a rather nonstandard date...."
"Miranda," Nene started, beginning to wonder if her fiancee's little sister had lost something important in her head when she'd merged with a Warshade. "I'm hardly in a position to start throwing stones here..."
"His date is Lady Nogitsune."
Nene blinked, before putting a hand to her face. "....of course she is. Who's the guy?"
"Mace MacHine, says here Legendary Member, codename..."
Nene sighed again. "It's clear....she'll behave, I hope. And if she doesn't, she's going to find out very quickly what Sachie's like when she has an excuse to rustle her tails for her. Anyone else presenting problems?"
"Not really. I just thought that one was a big deal."
Nene nodded. "I'll let Sachie know she has someone to lurk behind in case of trouble. Just play it casual."
"Got it, boss lady."
"And stop calling me that," she said, shaking her head and continuing on. "Oh, Eishun! You made it! And this must be your daughter and her... friend!"
***
Sammy gulped down a bottle of water, trying to remember exactly what Aunt Nene had told her. The small plaque she was carrying was the catering's teleport beacon, and she was supposed to just put it down on the ground in the center of the reception hall and press the button, then get out of the way. Simple instructions.
However, she was curious. How exactly did a teleport beacon for a catering service work? Especially with all the tables in the way. Were they supposed to have moved those out of the way because it would be kinda messy if they all got shoved to the side by the teleported stuff and she wasn't setting up beacons on each table or anything and Aunt Nene was always complaining about the bad aim of the teleporters anyway like how they dumped people halfway out into the RWZ when you wanted the Vanguard base and really, it wasn't any bigger than a single plate, so how was a little thing like that going to fit everything they needed for all the people outside that were starting to get a little cramped even with all the empty rooms she liked prowling in that the Legendary Base had and...
Sammy was so busy with her own stream of consciousness that she missed the triple tone entirely, before the beacon opened up to a loud three-note buzz-crunch noise, followed by a blinding flash of light and sound. Armatures extended out of a small pit where the plate had opened up that had to be too deep to really fit inside it, before rotating around like a laser light show projecter and opening fire. As beams hit every place setting and table, objects began to appear in bursts of light and a popping sound of displaced air. First dishes, then place settings, then napkins, and finally the food itself, along with what looked to be a converted train car on the far end, which opened up to reveal a pleasant looking young woman and her more exotic looking Chinese companion, sitting in chef's gear.
Chao Ling-Shen looked around with a satisfied air. "Right on target for all 519 places," she declared. "Hayase will be pleased by the Mk. VI's performance."
"Mmm," Satsuki agreed with a nod, before blinking as there was a squealing noise from nearby. She blinked, and grabbed an extra large spatula before going to pry Sammy off of a support column as her claws grated against the unclawable material she was clinging to, tail bolt outright in fright.
***
"I still feel ridiculous in this thing," Priss protested as Sylia smiled, taking her by the arm and weaving through the crowd with professional skill. She had at least a little experience in this sort of thing, and knew this was the point she'd likely have to step in. Priss, for the most part, followed along, navigating in the high heels much better than her protests to the contrary advised. Sylia restrained a smile at the thought that it was most likely due to the original hardsuits a lifetime ago...
"So what are we looking for?" Priss asked as she passed a tall blonde woman giving dire looks at a dark skinned giant and his shorter, brown haired companion as the former told a particularly off-color joke to the group they'd gathered.
"For Nene. You know her. She's so concerned that her wedding happen without any problems that she'd miss it for handling the details," Sylia said, glancing back at her, getting a look of dawning comprehension from Priss. Sylia smiled at that. "So we're here to get her to the church on time, as it were."
True to expectations, the pair found Nene sitting on one of the balconies, looking over the crowd. "Yes, Eva's to have access to the secondary taps," Nene was saying over her radio. "And keep Jacob away from the bar until the ceremony is done. The man's an entertaining drunk, but I want the base to survive the experience. Ask the Springfields for help if you need to. He came with them, after all." Switching to another frequency, she brought up Neko. "Tell me they're behaving."
"They are. Rumors aside, I could've told you there'd be no overwhelming firepower involved. Especially with their daughter attending."
Nene chuckled. "I suppose not, but I'm watching Murphy like a hawk at the moment. He moves one step out of line, I'm pinning him to the wall."
"That's all well and fine, but shouldn't you be getting ready? The ceremony's barely an hour away," Neko pointed out.
"I know, I know...I'm just trying to make sure that..."
"That everything is in order, yes, but you need to get ready," Sylia said, walking up behind her. The shorter redhead almost jumped out of her skin as Sylia smiled. "In case you forgot, the ceremony is starting in less than an hour. Ifrit's been preparing for almost thirty minutes now, and tux or no tux, you still need some work yourself," she smiled evenly.
"I can chance it, Sylia," Nene said, pulling up a quick diagram of the base with a few hand gestures to the base telepresence system. "I am not--"
"Going to show up half-cocked for the ceremony," Sylia said, nodding to Priss, who grinned slightly as she literally picked Nene up, eliciting a squawk of protest. "Trust me, dear. I've done this kind of thing before and the preparations will go along just fine."
"You don't know that." Nene frowned, only to give Sylia an odd look as the leader of the Sabres shook her head.
"Oh, I do. I'll be taking care of everything from here on. Now shoo," the older woman smiled, before turning towards the main reception hall.
Nene blinked a couple times before finally getting her wits about her to the point that Priss set her down so she could walk on her own. "...that was unexpected."
"If you hadn't been in full detail maniac mode, it wouldn't have been," Priss chuckled. "Frankly, I pity the idiot that tries to mess your wedding up now."
Nene considered that and admitted that Priss had a point.
***
"So, nervous?"
Ifrit looked over her shoulder at Miranda to deliver a proper 'you have to ask?' look to Miranda before going back to the full length mirror. "Petrified. I can't go out there to change anything at this point, and I'm certain something's going to fall apart while I'm not looking."
Miranda chuckled softly. "I think you're safe on that part. According to monitoring, Nene just got to the changing rooms, and Sylia's looking over the details until the ceremony starts. Nene might miss something, but not her."
"Good point," Ifrit admitted, privately letting out a breath at that. Nene had taken on a lot of the responsibilities for this sort of thing just to allow her time to get ready. That Sylia had in turn taken those on so Nene wouldn't be late either was a load off her mind.
"Honestly, don't you think you're overthinking this a little?" Miranda asked.
"Hmm, possibly, but it's only the wedding to the woman of my dreams. I'd clearly be crazy to worry about wanting it to go over perfectly," she commented dryly.
"True, but with all the prep time you've put into it, what little can go wrong would've gone wrong by now," Miranda said, the Warshade sitting down to her side in her dress.
"I...I just want it to be perfect," Ifrit said, sighing, as her sister chuckled.
"Sis, no one could ruin this for you if they tried. Because at the end of the day, this is all just icing on the fact that you're marrying the woman of your dreams," Miranda pointed out. "Assuming Nene doesn't get cold feet, which I'm fairly sure she won't. Something about being afraid of you warming them afterward. With napalm."
Ifrit blinked, looking over at the blue-haired woman with a somewhat boggled expression. Miranda just smiled. "Why do you think I've been trying to get you to relax? This will all work out if you think of it that way, so I've been wondering why my little sister's stressing herself and everyone else out when the main thing that you need to get right....is already happening."
"...and here I was ignoring you because you didn't seem to be taking this seriously," Ifrit said, resting her face in her hands. "Gods, have I been that bad?"
Miranda pursed her lips in thought, looking off in the distance. "....yeah, yeah, you were."
"Geeze, kick a girl while she's down," Ifrit chuckled.
"Just get through the ceremony without any meltdowns figurative or literal, and I promise to behave...within reason," Miranda laughed back.
***
"So, final preparations?" Sylia asked.
"Catering is done," Linna reported.
"Guests have been rounded up and herded into the chapel," Priss returned over her earpiece.
"Bride and groom are both in their dressing rooms and pretty much waiting for the signal," Neko advised.
"Right then," Sylia said, striding across the empty hallways to the changing rooms. "Let the festivities commence."
***
Just breath, Nene. Focus on that, despite the fact this tux seems to be designed for Sachie's disguise form rather than me... Nene noted to herself, refusing to lock up her legs as she looked down the aisle.
Sylia had come and gotten her, and the rest of the groom's party, shortly after she'd gotten everything checked out. In truth, she'd known that the wedding was going to go over just fine. And true enough, the chapel had looked absolutely gorgeous. Intended for peaceful meditation, the massive sun room featured a small indoor grove of trees and a babbling brook, crossed over by a simple stone bridge. But the festivities had transformed this simple room. White banners hung from either side in delicate loops, while an arch of flowers sat over the entryway and before the bridge itself. Seats had been laid out on either side around the brook, now occupied by the many guests in attendance not standing already by Nene on the island itself. Which was when the doors opened and everything stopped. Along with Nene's breathing.
Ifrit was normally stunning, the natural beauty that came to fae strong in her appearance regardless of whether she dressed herself up or simply hung around the house in a t-shirt. But what Sylia had done with that was incredible. The gown itself was backless, allowing her red and black wings free movement, and further accented by the mixed coloration of the gown itself. Long, open sleeves mostly obscured her hands, interlaced with crimson embroidery around the edges in overlapping, intertwining patterns. A silver bustier was held in place by criss-crossing crimson strings that tied the rest of the white gown together, accompanied by matching threaded embroidery about the base. A flashing red ruby necklace adorned her throat, while flecks of gold, white, and silver were worked through the veil, which even now barely concealed Ifrit's beaming face as she walked up the aisle.
However, Nene had only rarely been at a loss for words in her life, so in the moment of time left only to them as Ifrit stepped up into her place, she smiled impishly. "Nothing exploded?" she whispered, earning a reproachful but far too amused to be serious glare from her wife-to-be before they turned to podium.
Resplendent in white as brilliant as Ifrit's own gown, the former 16th President of the United States stood behind the podium, his finish specially treated for this occasion. Abraham Lincoln smiled at both of them before his stentorian voice reached out to the far ends of the chapel.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in the sight of God and these witnesses, to join Nene Romanova and Ifrit Barnes in holy matrimony, which is commended to be honorable among all people..."
Nene barely heard the words as they went on. The entire ceremony and wording was probably wonderful and absolutely perfect, given they had, of all people, one of the most renowned orators in American history officiating, but she honestly wasn't paying attention to anything but the woman on the other side of the platform from her. If not for Ifrit obviously paying more attention than her and signaling her with a glance, Nene might have missed the part where she was supposed to start saying the vows entirely. Swallowing slightly, she began.
"Ifrit, you were....the first person I ever met after coming here. I owe everything I've had the chance to become to you, and even before now, you've been my partner, lover, and a mother to my daughter. You complete me in a way that, for someone who seems to have a quip at every corner, I'm at a loss to describe. And I can't imagine anything I'd rather do than spend the rest of our lives together, because you're the woman I love."
Ifrit smiled back at her as she nodded. "Nene, you're the light of my life. Every day I spend with you is more happy than I have any right to be. You make me laugh, make me smile....I felt that we had a connection since almost the moment we met, and doing this, here and now, is just the final step of something that was decided a long time ago. When I decided I'd be together with you for the rest of my life. Because I love you, and that's all that will ever matter to me."
"Do you have the rings?" Lincoln asked, as Nene smiled and took the box from Naoko. Taking hers, she slipped it onto Ifrit's hand. "With this ring, I thee wed, and pledge to you all the works of my heart, body, and mind."
Ifrit slid a ring onto her finger, returning the vow, as Lincoln nodded in turn to each of them. "By the power vested in me by these United States of America and the State of Rhode Island, I now pronounce you married. You may kiss the bride."
There may have been thunderous applause. Neither Nene nor Ifrit really noticed.
***
"You know, I'd never have expected that kind of wedding gift from a known arch-villain," Nene noted, glancing at the absolutely superb vintage of wine that had been included in the basket they'd received Mace MacHine and his date.
"Knowing Nogi, she probably hopped back a few centuries via Ouroborus and stole it. Possibly from herself," Ifrit chuckled.
"So pessimistic," she giggled.
"I call it 'pragmatic'. You can blame your old team leader. She's rubbing off on me," Ifrit responded with an upraised nose.
"Well, that's hardly a bad thing," Nene laughed. "After all, Sylia's the epitome of womanly grace and charm. Right, Priss?"
"Huh?" Priss blinked as she stopped, turning towards them. "Say what?"
"Ifrit and I were just talking about Sylia," Nene smiled, as Ifrit heard the tone in her voice that suggested Priss had left herself open to an ambush. "So, when are you two planning on making things official?"
"Official? What do you mean offici-...oh," she said as Nene waggled her ring finger at her, turning a slight shade of red. "I...dunno, really. I mean, it'd be nice, but there's so much going on lately. Especially thanks to a certain red-headed troublemaker," she smirked, catching her balance.
"Yes, well, you better hurry up. Otherwise Linna might get married before you do," Nene giggled.
"Psh, I ain't waitin' till the new Ice Age," Priss said.
"Hey!"
***
"You don't seriously expect trouble, do you?"
"Are you kidding? With this group? Someone's bound to start some."
Trouble? Sammy's ears twitched. The quiet tones of the people speaking and the general noise level in the packed room meant she couldn't tell who had spoken, but the meaning was clear: someone was trying to ruin Aunt Nene's wedding day!
"Problem, kitten?" Derrick rumbled in her ear. She shook her head even as she pushed away from his bare chest. As they broke contact, his glamour kicked in for her again, hiding his sleek muscles from her view behind the appearance of a full, ornate tuxedo. She sighed happily and would have pressed in close again, but her conscience tapped firmly on her shoulder and reminded her why she'd pulled away from him in the first place.
"No, no problem, nothing's wrong," she said hurriedly. "I just, um, I forgot something that I need to take care of I'll be right back don't go anywhere okay?"
Before he could raise another protest, Sammy darted forward, planted a quick kiss on Derrick's amused face, and then faded back into the crowd as quickly and smoothly as only cats could. She weaved through the dancers as her ears flattened of their own accord.
Nobody but nobody was going to ruin Aunt Nene's wedding day if Sammy had anything to say about it. She flexed her fingers, letting her claws slide out and retract, and narrowed her eyes. First things first: she had to find out who had spoken. She felt sure if she heard them again she'd remember the voice, and even if she still had no idea who it was, she'd be able to follow them. She could follow anybody! Not by smell, though, not in here, not today. Too many perfumes and colognes and food smells and sweaty dancers and turned-on dancers and other distracting odors like the yummy sushi trays being carried by the waiters and --
"Look, it's starting!"
"Don't stand too close, I don't want to get caught in the middle."
There! Sammy prowled forward, pushing through the crowd. Now that she'd heard them again, she had no problem cutting their voices out of the crowd -- though, frustratingly, she still didn't recognize them.
"... she's holding it like a grenade."
"JUST like a grenade. And whoever the poor sap it that it hits... kaboom!"
Sammy growled, low under her breath. Any second now she'd be able to see who was talking -- and shred them. She wasn't going to let ANYBODY, she didn't care who it was, even if it was that white-haired big scary lady Aunt Nene liked so much, ruin her aunt's wedding day!
The crowd around her let out a roar, and she glanced up, distracted from the hunt. An errant elbow caught her above the eyes, knocking her glasses askew. She caught them as they fell, instinctively, even as her attention was riveted on the small object arcing through the air towards the crowd around her -- an object that was oddly-shaped and tumbling and had bits of -- was that smoke? -- trailing from the end oh no it's the grenade I've got to stop it!
Sammy leaped, her legs carrying her clear of the crowd in an eyeblink. She twisted in midair, instinctively using her tail for additional leverage, and with her free hand snagged the grenade before it could go off.
"DON'T WORRY, I GOT IT!" she yelled as she landed. She spun to hurl it out the nearest window, into a garbage can, under a table, wherever it could go off without --
Huh, Sammy thought, blinking. That doesn't feel like a grenade...
She put her glasses back on and looked down at the object in her hand. A slightly-mangled bouquet stared forlornly back up at her.
The hall was quiet enough to hear a pin drop.
"Um," Sammy said, color rising on her cheeks. "Uhhhh..."
"I think that's the first time I've seen her speechless," Nene remarked in a very loud whisper from where she stood, grinning, next to her bride.
The gathered women -- heroes, villains, civilians, and indescribable genetic aberrations alike -- who had been waiting to take their chances at catching the toss glared collectively at Sammy, her prodigious leap having propelled her far out into the open, ahead of their group.
"A-aunt Nene?" Sammy managed, looking up. "I, uh, I thought it was ... I thought... um..."
"Derrick, there you are!" Ifrit said, stepping forward and taking Sammy by an elbow and shoulder and leading the dazed catgirl back towards her boyfriend, who for his part had an inscrutable mix of surprise, confusion, and... anticipation? on his face. "I think Sammy needs a drink. She's gone... catatonic."
Behind her bride, Nene groaned. So did half the assembled guests, at least all those in hearing range.
"Bouquet?" Sammy asked. "I caught the bouquet?"
"Yep," Nene replied.
"But I thought it was a grenade," Sammy said plaintively.
Ifrit and Nene shared a Look.
"Don't ask," Nene warned with a slight shake of her head. "Remember the mousse?"
Alice popped up out of nowhere, causing Sammy to jump a little. "Well, well, well," she teased, grinning at her sister. "Honestly, Sammy, I hadn't thought you were in that much of a hurry to ditch the streets for a colla-- OW!"
"Alice, come help me with the recieving line, hmm?" Ifrit's eyes were only lightly smoldering -- she wasn't in a bad mood, apparently -- but her fingers were closed firmly on her daughter's ear. Alice managed a pained nod.
"Yes, mum! Ow!"
"Derrick?" Sammy mewed, her eyes wide. "I caught the bouquet! I didn't mean to! I thought it was a grenade because these people were talking about a kaboom and then it came flying towards the crowd and I couldn't see it clearly and --"
"Sammy?"
"-- and then I -- yes?"
Derrick dropped smoothly to one knee, looking up at Sammy and holding her hand in his own. Nene grinned hugely. Neko let out a startled gasp. Sammy stared. This wasn't happening he couldn't be doing what he looked like he was doing right they hadn't even talked about that sort of thing and besides he had--
"I've been thinking about this for a while now," Derrick admitted. "This seems as good an opportunity as any. Kitten, will you marry me?"
Sammy let out an involuntary mew as her tail went straight and stiff. Her ears shot up, her eyes widened, and for a moment her mouth worked inaudibly as the words piled up in a massive traffic jam on her tongue. Finally she managed to nod.
"Twice in one day," Nene noted, chuckling to herself.
Sammy stared down at the ring Derrick held, then back up at his face. Her smile threatened to split her face. She dropped the bouquet and all but pounced, hugging Derrick tightly. The dam broke, then, and words began to pour out, so fast that nobody save perhaps another speedster might be able to recognize them. Almost as fast as they'd started, they stopped, and Derrick found himself holding a passed-out catgirl.
"What just happened?" he asked nobody in particular.
"If I had to guess," Neko replied, taking one of Sammy's wrists in hand and timing her pulse, "you've got a grade-A case of forgetting to breathe, there."
They all shared a laugh.
***
The reception had turned out absolutely perfect, a culmination to a perfect ceremony. Sylia sat back, smiling gently as she watched the caterers cooking the latest round of food requests in the kitchen, with at least one of the guests, a Miss Tokiha, having jumped in to lend a hand as well to deal with possible overflow. Nene was currently sitting with Ifrit, along with Priss and Linna, and looked absolutely content amongst her family and friends. Sammy was nearby, being somewhat restrained by Alice to keep the incredibly happy catgirl from literally bouncing from one spot to another. All in all, the wedding was a smashing success. Stepping away from the rest of the group for a moment, she glanced up as a man in a sharply cut suit and unusual silver hair walked up to her.
"Miss Stingray?"
"Yes?"
The man smiled slightly. "Just a pleasure to meet you. I had no idea that a businesswoman of your caliber was a friend of the bride when Naoko asked me if I could attend with her."
Sylia chuckled. "Yes, I sometimes forget my reputation precedes me. I'm sorry, but I don't believe I know your name."
"Maximillian Largo, Miss Stingray. As I said, a pleasure," he smiled, before stepping back into the throng. Sylia watched after him, before shaking her head. Strange man...
***
"So, all's well that ends well?" Nene asked, watching the cleanup from a distance.
"I think so, yes, even with the surprises," Ifrit agreed, head leaned against her.
"You're going to have to-"
"To tell Miranda she was right, I know," Ifrit said, cutting her off with a rueful smile. "She was. I was just..."
"Getting a touch too fired up," Nene giggled, receiving a playful swat on her arm from Ifrit.
"Oh, just kick me while I'm down, why don't you?" she grumbled bemusedly.
Nene chuckled, leaning against the pillar and just enjoying the moment and the feel of Ifrit against her shoulder. For all that it had been a rather colossal undertaking from their perspective starting out, the wedding was done....and Nene wasn't sad to see it end. She much preferred being the "married couple" to the "affianced couple" in terms of responsibilities. Still, she sighed somewhat.
"Something the matter?" Ifrit asked, looking up at her without moving her head.
"Not really...just kind of....homesick, in a weird way," Nene said. "Even if I know that there's no one really missing this back home because they didn't lose me, per se...I kinda wish Mama were here to see this."
Ifrit nodded. "I know how you feel. On some level, I know that Mom never really knew me, and that all those memories are based off someone else. But I kind of wish she was here too. But the important people were here...and still are. Especially you," she said, cuddling in.
"Guess so," Nene smiled softly, before standing up. "C'mon...we've got a honeymoon to get to," she said.
Ifrit smiled, getting up and following Nene as they avoided cleaning workers and stepped into the telepad's containment field. A brief flash and they were in the Riot base and far from the current bustle. Nene grinned as a thought came to her as she keyed in the new teleport destination, before she tapped her latent powers just slightly. Ifrit blinked as she felt like a gust of wind had passed under her, before Nene scooped her up into her arms. She blinked, looking at Nene.
"I believe this is traditional," the redhead smiled, kissing her briefly.
"...if not, it's good enough as it is," Ifrit responded after a moment's thought, leaning her head against Nene's shoulder again as the teleporter engaged.
Nene had to agree. Whatever happened, this was good enough.
More than good enough.
***
Dedicated (Despite Ironic Delays) to Unicorna, for Waiting Six Years for Me to Finally Pop the Question.
---
"Oh, silver blade, forged in the depths of the beyond. Heed my summons and purge those who stand in my way. Lay
waste."
