• Closed • [Haven] Of Chapels and Wedding Bells...

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 53 Zi'da

“This is the map you drew for him?” Ronan’s laughter rose above the chatter of the other guards and Elisabeth, who was trying to explain, as she had for Balthazar, what everything on the map meant. Silk and Balder tried to suppress smiles, but it was hard when confronted with their leader’s abysmal art skills.

“Yes, but look! Everything’s there. I know where everything is, and it’s more or less on here in the right order.” Trying to defend her cartography failure was difficult because even she could recognize that it was an awful map. Balthazar had wanted to see where everything was, and Elisabeth had thought she could help out.

Silk pointed to the three stick figure people in front of the guard barracks, one of which had a pair of blobs attached to its shoulder. “Us?” Elisabeth nodded and pointed at the lump with pointy ears in front of Haven House. “And that’s Storm. Animals are a bit trickier than buildings, I discovered.”

The guards could try and bring down her mood – not intentionally, of course – but it wasn’t going to work. Her attitude couldn’t have been better, for one reason and one reason alone – Balthazar was home. For the trials leading up to his arrival, it would be fair to say that Elisabeth had driven everyone in Haven crazy. She was usually a happy individual, sure, and the pair had found time to spend together in various other locations around Scalvoris. Nothing, however, made the young woman smile more than having him home, though. Especially since they needed to have a particular conversation about a special subject - their engagement.

Elisabeth could have told the settlers about the engagement when she returned from Scalvoris Town in early Vhalar, but it hadn’t felt right. Balthazar missed so much being away for work, and it truly was about both. No, she wanted to wait until he was there to share the moment with her and the settlers.

After breakfast and some good-natured teasing, Elisabeth and Balthazar headed out into Haven. He had expressed a desire to get a feel for where everything was situated so they could move forward with plans for the chapel and graveyard, and her map hadn’t entirely done the trick.

The settlers were happy to see Balthazar, stopping their work to greet the couple. It was apparent that Haven was excited about him being back for a time. Elisabeth smiled, listening quietly to the quick conversations that seemed to be everywhere. People wanted to reconnect with him and she was happy about that.

For their tour of Haven, the couple was escorted by a very important figure in the governing of Haven - Sir Storm. 'Escorted' might have been a stretch, although the feline did seem happy to see Balthazar too, rubbing on his legs every so often. Most importantly though, walking along with the pair allowed the settlers to adore him, which was always a good thing. Fish bits were good too.

As they headed down the path through the trees west of the settlement, she decided to broach the subject of the announcement.“We should talk about how and when we want to tell the settlers about the engagement. I didn’t want to say anything without you here. It’s your news too.”

Stopping at the break in the tree line, large clearing in front of them, she pointed to the north, where it would be obvious that Munny Farm stood. " So, the farm to the north. It has room to expand on all sides. Then this clearing. I think building anything to the north of Munny Farm would cause issues." Pointing to the south, all that stood there was empty space. "These trees run along the back of Haven House, so we could even create another path through from there. It's close enough to Haven for easy access, but has it's own space, nestled back into the trees a bit. We could put the graveyard along side? Or were you thinking of putting the graveyard someplace else?"

[Balthazar Black]

53 Zi'da 721

Haven was not what it had been when Balthazar established it and that was probably for the better, but it didn't change that he missed certain things when he walked around the settlement. He missed the smell of the old location. The buildings were moved perfectly, Saoire had seen to that, but the environment was different. The ground felt different. The sky looked different. The elements he could feel sounded similar but at the same time not. The water had been louder in the old spot. He couldn't help but notice how different it continued to be as he went through his trial. Elisabeth was in a meeting with his guards and while Balthazar considered attending, he decided instead that he wanted to work on something in his small workshop.

After her meeting, the two took a walk around the settlement together and while it was nice to see so many people had positive reactions towards him, it made Balthazar feel a little restless. There was no work to be done in Haven other than building and growing. No crimes that warranted the Element's involvement. Now that he had the full scope of his powers back he could try to help the settlement with transmutation but he was not sure where to begin there. Time would tell. He was still adjusting to being back in Haven. Elisabeth enjoyed it. He could tell that much but his memory would always be more clear than her's and old wounds didn't close as easily. He knew that, on the surface, they needed to find somewhere to build the chapel and somewhere to put the graveyard but he couldn't help but find his mind wandering while they walked through the portion of Haven where most of the settlers lived.

They were escorted by the cat that followed Elisabeth everywhere more loyally than Balthazar would expect most animals to. He never heard about Storm running off or tearing things up but maybe Elisabeth just didn't share with him. Regardless almost every time the cat rubbed against Balthazar, it received a small shock from his defiance mutation. The brave little one kept trying though.

They passed into the trees west of the settlement and Elisabeth brought up announcing their engagement to the settlers. Balthazar's brow furrowed a little for a moment and then his face returned completely to normal. He looked up in the sky at the black bird that followed him in one form or another at all times and then he scratched the back of his head. "I didn't really plan on telling them in person. I figured we would just write to the friends we have that we want to invite. There are a lot of traditions but," Balthazar shrugged, "it's not about that for me. I didn't really think any of the settlers needed to know until they were invited- and that I had planned to do with a notice board of some sort." He never liked celebrating himself. He felt like announcing the engagement to the settlers was essentially doing that.

Elisabeth pointed out Munny Farm a little bit to the north and Balthazar shifted his attention towards it briefly. She rattled off a lot of questions and didn't give Balthazar much time to think before moving onto the next one but at least they were all in the same category. She'd clearly spent more time thinking about it than he had. She'd been in Haven so it made sense. He'd spent most of his season hunting a gang of criminals, preparing an expedition, and hunting a serial killer so he had been fairly preoccupied. "For the moment I think the graveyard is the least important. We can deal with it after we have the chapel built. You haven't had any deaths while I've been away have you? We can put the chapel where you wanted it. As long as it doesn't interfere with the farm and the people can reach it without risking injury, I'm happy with it. "

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 53 Zi'da

Elisabeth grinned a bit, watching Storm try to rub against Balthazar time and time again, only to be zapped repeatedly. She knew what the sensation felt like but had long stopped reacting, becoming used to it over time. It would take a lot more than a bit of zap to keep her from expressing her affection in ways that required touch.

His answer to her question about their engagement was interesting. Elisabeth had assumed they would gather the settlers together and let them know, but her way of doing things wasn’t the only way. As she had said, it was their news, and she wanted them to decide together who was told and when. She listened to what he said, considered it, and replied gently. “We come from different places and are now calling another different place home. I think it’s safe to assume we aren’t going to be following any rule book on this, nor do I want to.”

Thinking a few trills more, she mulled over the possibilities. Haven, realistically, was her biggest concern. These were people she worked and lived with and significantly respected. They would want to be a part of things, and Elisabeth knew that she wished the settlement to share in the couple’s joy.

The thought brought her to something else – a more expansive idea about the wedding itself. Balthazar knew as well as anyone that Elisabeth couldn’t simply think about one thing. “So, what about something like this – we do as you say for Haven: Post an announcement. Word will spread quickly, so I’m not worried about that at all.”

But what would happen after that? There was still the matter of people that didn’t live in Haven, the wedding and celebration. “I’ve been thinking about the wedding itself. I know it’s probably not the done or traditional thing,” sighing softly, the young woman glanced over at him as they walked. “But I think when we exchange vows, I’d like it to be you, me, and the priest. I want to share those moments with you, alone. We could have the public celebration the same trial for the settlers, friends, and family, or a different trial if we decided to marry someplace away from Haven.” Ideally, she wanted them marry someplace that meant something to both of them.

She was struggling with her words, telling him how she felt. Every time Elisabeth thought she found the right word, it danced out of her reach. “So much of our lives are public, shared with others. I feel as though this one thing should be just ours. I don't care where, only that you are there.” Elisabeth, of course, was curious to know what he would think about her idea. She wasn’t opposed to celebrating their love with others, but some things were meant to be sacred in her mind - a lasting remnant from their trials of being observed day and night.

As they reached the clearing, he listened to her information and replied, essentially on the same page she was. Nodding her head gently as they found agreement on the site of the chapel, Elisabeth smiled. “No deaths, and waiting on the graveyard is fine with me. The site won’t interfere with the farm, I assure you. As a marked of Vri, can you think of anything we need to include in the chapel or anything you want to be included so when we draw up the plans, I can keep them in mind?”

It was essential to her that they get the chapel right for many different reasons. For Vri, obviously. She had prayed to him on several occasions and considered him important to her. The young woman tried to live her life in a way that honored him at every point, through her words and actions.

For Balthazar, as a marked of Vri and the man she loved. The chapel would be something they did together, and in her mind, a testament of her love for Balthazar.

Finally, for Haven. To love, mourn, and remember. Having the chapel would offer them a place of solitude and peace.

So many reasons, and so much work to do, but it was worth it - for all of them.

[Balthazar Black]

53 Zi'da 721

It came as a small relief that Elisabeth agreed they did not need to follow any one place's rulebook when it came to their marriage but part of him that he would never admit wished there were a more universally recognized method. What if a few arcs from now he decided they should have done it how they did it in Viden? Or in Yaralon? Well... what would it hurt to renew vows and just do it again? He would be happy to celebrate how he felt about Elisabeth every few arcs that they managed to avoid being killed by the strange events they were pulled into. Part of him felt that they needed to respect the traditions in Scalvoris a little more while they asked the people from Scalvoris to celebrate with them. He thought it would make all of them feel more like a community to have some form of cultural link to each other- even if it was just celebrating in a way the Scavlorians were familiar with.

Elisabeth got them back to business as she often did. She suggested they post the announcement in Haven like Balthazar had alluded to but said nothing of who she wanted to send more personal invitations to. He figured that would be something they handled closer to the actual event. They didn't even have a place to hold the wedding yet really. Elisabeth suggested that when they exchange vows, another part of the engagement that he hadn't really considered he would have to prepare for, they do it in private with a priest. He didn't know how he felt about it and he didn't respond to it immediately. One person or a dozen, did it really make a difference who heard their vows? He liked privacy, but it almost felt like secrecy to exchange vows in a more isolated location.

Then there was another thing Elisabeth had said that Balthazar didn't think about. It seemed more and more apparent that the only thing he had considered when he proposed was that he wanted to be with her. When did love become such a process to be recognized by society? Regardless what she had said which pulled him out of his focus a little, was that they could invite family to the celebration. Family? Who did either of them have that was really family? His real parents were killed in part by the people who had raised him as a servant and then he helped get a drug into the city that eventually killed the people who raised him. He had no family and he felt his list of friends reduce by the trial.

"I think we should just do it all in Haven, with everyone there. We will never have the privacy I would want and it will cost us less to hold it all as one event." He said rather plainly while casting the thoughts of who he could not invite out of his head. "Besides, I know Ronan and Silk are going to want to harass you over your vows and what friend would I be to deprive them of that?" He smiled at his own joke and moved onto the topic of the graveyard.

Something about how she pointed out that he was marked by Vri rubbed Balthazar the wrong way and Elisabeth couldn't have known because it had never come up in the context she brought it up now. Just because he had the Immortal's mark, did not mean he had an inherent insight to Vri's thoughts and wants. He was as in the dark about it as Elisabeth was and he had a strong feeling that praying to Vri would not get them a specific answer. He had almost no idea how they would decorate the interior of the chapel once it was built, but he knew he needed a place for the remains in the chapel. "I'll need a place to put the remains of Vri's followers when it is done but lets focus on putting the building up before we worry about how to decorate it."

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 53 Zi'da

Balthazar promoted a more public wedding in something of a surprise move, which she hadn't seen coming. At all. Huh. It almost felt like they reversed views on the privacy of their relationship, but then again, a wedding was a wedding. The ceremony was intended to celebrate the love shared between a couple, and Elisabeth did want to do that.

"Alright then. A Haven wedding it is. Ashan, I'm assuming? Late Ashan, I think. Better weather." His comment about Ronan and Silk was met with a mischievous grin as she tossed back a comment in return. "Not just me, Balthazar. You think they aren't going to tease you too when you are here?" Elisabeth knew the moment the news of the wedding was made public, Haven would literally light up with anticipation. There was no doubt about that in her mind. "You know, I think this is probably the first wedding on Faldrass since the eruption." Of course, there was no way to be sure, but she hadn't heard of any weddings in Hopetoun, and Haven certainly hadn't had any.

"We'll have to discuss someone to perform the ceremony. I think anyone can step into that role." Elisabeth thought Balthazar's preference would probably be someone Vri-marked, but they didn't know too many people like that. "I could write to Faith? I don't know any other Vri-marked, besides Jacien, that is."

Beyond that, they had a few other options. "We could ask Darius, perhaps? Or Vega. She's a champion of Xiur. Hope." There were varying reasons for each person she proposed, and in truth, she wanted all of them to be part of their wedding, but it was a decision the couple would need to make together. Perhaps he would have some different options.

"I already know what to do about invitations. The young woman whose parent's brought Storm to Scalvoris Town for me from Rharne? Perdita. She's a wonderful artist. I can commission her to do the invitations, but we'll also need to know who we are inviting."

Who to invite? Now that they knew it would be in Haven and public, they could open the guest list a bit. "The settlers, obviously. Darius, Kisaik, Vega and Arlo. Praetorum. Perdita. I'm not sure if Varlum is still on Faldrass, but he too. The settlers of Hopetoun. The Barons. Alyssia. Woe. Probably not the entire Council, but some people on it. Doran, Bao, Oram. Kura? Vin and Rilith, obviously, but I'd need to write them soon to let them know when. Am I missing anyone?"

As she ticked off the list, names kept popping up. Names some would question, but to her, it was the perfect opportunity to let the past be in the past.

They moved back to the chapel topic, and Elisabeth nodded, making a mental note of what he said. First things first. "Alright. So, one large room and two smaller rooms?" Her first inclination had been to make the chapel just one room, but then she considered that there might be a need for smaller spaces.

Now that they had a location, it was just a matter of settling on the structure's layout. Who would build the chapel? Technically, the settlers could make it, having helped create the farmhouse and the clam farm, but she felt that perhaps hiring the team from Saoire's school again would be the best bet. They wouldn't be able to build until Ashan anyways, and everyone would be pitching in to get the first crop of the season going after Cylus, so outsourcing with Elisabeth and Balthazar being hands-on for the project was probably the smart way to go.

"I think it's important that we are involved as much as possible. I think Vri would want that. I can contact the people that helped us with the Munny farm buildings and see if I can hire them to assist with the chapel. You might have to take a little time away from investigating things? " Elisabeth hated asking him to do that, but she also knew what Vri meant to the mage and that a request from the Immortal wasn't something he could deny easily.

[Balthazar Black]

53 Zi'da 721

If Balthazar ever thought he could have privacy he might have agreed to a private ceremony. Elisabeth seemed happy about it though and so the idea slowly became more and more appealing than it had been the moment he suggested it. She jumped quickly to scheduling it now that they'd more or less picked a venue for the wedding. Late Ashan? The weather could be good then. Weather was unpredictable but if a storm was on the wind, he would know before it became a problem they couldn't handle. If it was hot though... well that wouldn't really affect a Fire Forged but it might make guests act out. Still it was better than early Ashan would be and much better than Cylus would have been so Balthazar nodded in agreement with her proposed timeline.

He laughed when she suggested that Ronan and Silk would tease him as well and then he shook his head. "Maybe, but I won't give them as much satisfaction from it as you will." He said before she mentioned that it might have been the first wedding on Faldrass since the eruption. He wasn't sure about that but if she wanted that little win then he could ask around. He didn't quite respond to the sentiment with much more than a shrug since he didn't want to affirm or deny it. It didn't matter to him if they were the first wedding or the thousandth. What mattered to him was that it was their wedding.

Elisabeth brought up more details that Balthazar hadn't spent much time thinking about. Who would perform the ceremony, she listed a lot of different options, who should they invite, again another list of options presented- some presented as if they were obvious choices to invite to the wedding. It became a little more apparent just how much thought Elisabeth was putting into it. He took a breath, given ample time by Elisabeth plowing through the names of the people that they knew. Who did he want to invite? Who would really show up? Elisabeth mentioned getting a marked of Vri to perform the ceremony. He did not know Faith by anything more than reputation and he suspected Jacien would refuse. He did not think Jacien would refuse maliciously but simply because he was probably too busy.

There were many marked at the wedding of Vri that Balthazar could remember and, with some effort, track down to ask but he was not sure it had to be a marked. He would have liked it, but in honesty he would have rather had Vri or Anaza perform the ceremony and that seemed unlikely to him so he was content with whoever they got. Elisabeth suggested Darius and then Vega, citing her mark and status with Xiur as a reason why she'd be qualified for it. He wasn't certain that a mark really made someone qualified, that was why he was content not getting another Vri marked to perform it, but if Elisabeth wanted Vega he wouldn't argue. He thought that Darius might have been the best out of the options listed though, given how they both knew him in relatively positive ways.

Without much more than a breath she went on to tell him how she'd already come up with a plan for the invitations. Balthazar thought it funny that she knew who she'd go to so they could have them made but Elisabeth wasn't even sure who she wanted to send them out to. Perdita must have had a big impact on her. Maybe the gifted cat had helped with that. Once again, she was hardly off the breath where she'd told him she didn't know who to invite and she pushed through an even longer list of people they knew. Some of the people she suggested seemed like odd choices. In the list of people she wanted at the wedding, she'd included both of the people who had been at his trial. Maybe she could forget, but Balthazar was burdened with recollection unlike most others. When he thought about it, it was as if he was right there again. It took longer for him to get over things but he could pretend or reign it in until the wedding was over and the guests left.

But did he really want to have to reign it in at his own wedding? Did he want to feel judged by guests? Not really. Did he want to risk making a statement by not inviting people? Not really. He didn't consider how political it would feel to make an invitation list. He noticed the names she left out of the list she'd made. He wondered if he should point out important people to him who might have bothered her. He realized that she was waiting for him to respond about the many things she'd said and he blinked a few times while his gears continued to turn. Was she missing anyone? He took a small breath, looked towards the ground, debated the names he was going to say, and then reaffirmed eye contact and started.

"If we have the guards attend, they will have to be there working. We can't drop all of Haven's security for a night given the robbery last time. I wouldn't have included some of the names you listed but it seems alright. Other than them... Robin of Oakleigh, the boy who wanted to be my squire. Ria and Kailey from Haven Farm, Osmond Bean, Hercule Blanc, Pylos, Skal- just assume some Elements I've worked with, it is a long list. Yeva should get one too though I'm not sure what she is up to these trials. Maybe Gaul Jundland. Isabella- though that is just a formality, she won't come." He knew her well enough to know that. She was still laying low. "And this is just people in Scalvoris. Victor, the man who initiated me into Transmutation, might want to come. He lives in Melrath. Walsh from the Copper Prince in Rharne might appreciate an invitation too... it might be better if I just write out a list." Balthazar suggested.

When it came to the topic of the chapel again, Elisabeth proposed one large room with two smaller ones attached. He nodded in agreement. One of the smaller rooms could be used to house the remains of the followers and the other could be adjusted as needed for events and other causes. The large room would be the bulk of the chapel. By the time Balthazar got around to thinking about how they would build it, Elisabeth was already proposing that they get in contact with the people who had helped build the farm. She implied he might have to take time off from the cases he was working to build the chapel and his expression soured a little. That was far easier said then done. He could not predict what cases he would be working when the time to build finally came around and he was not comfortable agreeing to it before he knew.

He would not let killers and thieves go lose because he was building a chapel on Faldrass.

He shook his head. It helped a little that the chapel was a task Vri had given her. "I might not be in a position to do that when the time to build it comes around. It's not as if I can just ask the criminals I'm looking into to take a few trials off." At least not in this case. "I will be as involved as I can, but I have no skills that will be of any use when it comes to building the chapel. We need to make sure that 'being involved' doesn't become 'getting in the way' of people who know how to do it better than us. If we hire them to build, we hired them to build- not to teach us."

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 53 Zi'da

She grinned at Balthazar as he mentioned not giving Silk and Ronan the satisfaction of a reaction when they teased him, gasping theatrically before responding. "True enough, I suppose, but I'm getting better! Ronan is more of the issue in that regard. He's got a mouth that won't stop."

He was quiet for a long while, but Elisabeth didn't mind. It was part of Balthazar's thought process, and she had just given him an awful lot of information. Late Ashan – he was agreeable to that idea, which brought something else to mind. "How about 100 Ashan then? It's Ilaren's Trial here in Scalvoris, and getting married on that trial would be a way to honor the city we met in?"

Rharne, of course, was where they had met. And in a tavern, no less. Scalvoris weddings, from what she knew, were heavy on symbolism. There were things that there standard, but always with room to tailor the ceremonies to the bride and groom. That date just felt…right.

While waiting to see what he had to say about that, Elisabeth considered the mental bond they shared through Balthazar's mark. It often provided her insight into his emotional state, allowing her to feel as he worked his way through varying things. Unfortunately, his discipline tended to temper his reactions, but she often got a general idea.

Watching the wheels turn in his head, he finally started explaining his thoughts on the guests. He listed off many people – many more than Elisabeth had expected. He would feel the torrential impact of emotion at the mention of one name – Isabella – but then again, that wouldn't be a surprise to him. Balthazar was well aware of Elisabeth's disdain for the woman, knowing how she had impacted his life in such a toxic way. Unlike Balthazar, her emotions tended to swirl just below the surface, and her use of discipline was much more subtle. He was always aware when she was unhappy.

As much as she wanted to say something about it, Isabella wasn't a topic she wanted to discuss in the same breath as wedding plans, so Elisabeth let the emotions slip away, wishing to focus on something much more positive. "A list would be good. I'm sure there are other people we will want to invite…" she replied quickly, realizing that his travels had allowed him to meet a wide variety of people. His list was much longer than hers.

Instead of continuing to feel uneasy about the list, she turned it into something of a joke, grinning over at Balthazar. "You sure I can't interest you in getting married on a mountaintop someplace? We wouldn't have to worry about lists then."

Circling back, she had an additional thought on who should perform the ceremony, although it was only to cement a prior mention. "The more I think about it, the more I think we should ask Darius. It will be a Scalvoris ceremony, performed in a Scalvorian settlement with Scalvorian people. Darius is native to Scalvoris, in addition to all the other reasons I mentioned earlier."

Naturally, the conversation drifted to the chapel task. Elisabeth would argue that Vri had given it to both, but Balthazar seemed to have a different opinion on that matter. Fair enough. She would take care of the chapel. Life seemed to always bump up against their duties and responsibilities, but she would make sure the task was done to the best of her abilities. Vri was the Immortal of Love and Remembrance, and both those Domains played into her plans.

"That's alright," she began. "I'll handle the chapel plans. I've worked with these builders before, so I know where the line is." Elisabeth left the conversation there for her part. She knew what to do.

A voice called out from the farm, complete with a wave and shout. "Hello, Mr. and almost-Mrs. Black!" Even if she hadn't seen the girl, Elisabeth knew the voice belonged to Delilah. Storm, who had been lazily walking behind the pair, perked up at the sound of the farmer's daughter. Delilah was always good for fish bites.

Smiling, a look of surprise came across Elisabeth's face. "Wow, I hadn't even thought about that yet. Elisabeth Black. I probably should get used to that name."

Nudging him gently, she pointed toward the farm, smiling. "We should go there and check in on things. I'm sure Delilah feels the need to prod me a bit more about getting animals for the farm. She wants some, and I promised her that I'd make it a priority when the weather warms up again. I think she wants to make sure I don't forget." Delilah Munny was a delightful young woman that Elisabeth was very fond of. A bit shy and unassuming if one didn't know her, but once someone was around her for long enough, Edward's stubborn steak shined through his daughter.

And she really liked animals.

"I started making a checklist to get the settlement ready for the colder weather of Cylus. Like checking exteriors for damage that snow and ice could exacerbate. I thought it made sense."

For well-established reasons, neither of them had been in Haven during the previous Cylus. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Balthazar had been there for a few trials, but the point stood that she had a minimal idea what to expect from the Faldrass weather. The settlers helped, but they had been in tents then, and now the settlement was dotted with basic houses. As well, Haven had been in an entirely different location, which she suspected could make a difference.

"Is there anything else you can think of that would be helpful? For Cylus or Ashan – I'm making a list there too." Haven was Elisabeth's to guide and protect, and she was humbled and honored to do so, but Balthazar had perspectives that would have been foolish to ignore. A good leader knew that the more information, the better.

[Balthazar Black]

53 Zi'da 721

Balthazar's solution to Ronan's mouth had never been that difficult for him but he suspected Elisabeth would figure it out in time. Regardless it didn't seem like the time to give her advice on dealing with Ronan while they were talking about wedding planning so he let the topic lie. He nodded to the proposed date without thinking of the significance quite as much as Elisabeth. He didn't think everything needed to honor something else or have a special date chosen for a specific reason but he didn't really think it mattered what date they picked as long as the season was good... and it wasn't Cylus. Plus he knew Elisabeth liked putting a lot of symbolism in the things she worked on so he would let her have her small victories. It made no difference to him. The wedding was for them, not Ilaren, so hopefully she wouldn't mind them stealing her trial for it.

Elisabeth might have been disappointed by his lack of verbal responses or real discussion on the topic, but he wanted to be married more than he wanted to plan getting married. He didn't notice anything particularly unusual with her feelings until he brought up Isabella. It was fair for her not to like the woman based on what she had heard about her and Elisabeth's own charged opinions. However Isabella had saved Balthazar's life more than once when she wasn't trying to end it and she'd initiated him into two of the magics he used often. One of which he had come to value far more than the first, but he still owed it all to her. He knew she would not come but he would have felt rude not inviting her. Elisabeth was lucky that Balthazar had initiated her into Defiance- she didn't have mentors with complicated relationships to maintain.

Elisabeth agreed that a list would be a good idea and the mage nodded slightly. He could create and give her the list at a later time. Was there anyone from Quacia he wanted to invite? Maybe the mage who'd saved him from the cathedral... maybe he should have just stopped thinking about it until later. Elisabeth made a joke about getting married on a mountain so they wouldn't need a list and Balthazar smirked a little. "No we would, but in that case it goes from a list of people we need to invite to a list of people we need to apologize for not inviting." He said with a small shrug. They were too known now to hide their actives in the conventional way.

Elisabeth shifted back to the topic of who should perform the ceremony and she seemed to want Darius so Balthazar did as he did for most of the conversation, he nodded in agreement and was content to leave it at that. He did not really mind who did it as long as it was done. Elisabeth then shifted to the topic of the chapel and she seemed to have taken what he said poorly. He had expressed that he was uncertain he could take the time off, and she seemed content to take over the whole task based on that uncertainty. He chose not to argue his way into doing more work.

He heard Delilah approaching before he heard her call out to them but he was content to ignore her approach until she made herself known. When she did, he turned and gave her a small wave. He'd almost missed what she said until Elisabeth ran with it. Another thing he had not considered which seemed strange now that he was. She wanted his last name. He didn't know how he felt about it, honestly. It was a name he had chosen, not been given. It was a complicated part of not really having parents as he grew up. Balthazar was one choice. Black was another. Both had defined who he was and would be. It felt strange to think a name he had chosen would erase the name she had. It didn't feel like remembrance but it seemed to make her happy and he was in control enough of his emotions that she wouldn't feel the conflict. If she was happy, it was enough for him.

When Elisabeth asked if there was anything he could think of that would have been helpful for Cylus and Ashan, Balthazar found the discipline that hid his former conflict beginning to slip. He felt apprehensive about giving advice because he knew that even if he was wrong, Elisabeth might have taken it. The notion that he should focus on his job rang in his head. She was the leader and he should have left it at that for her to lead. He also had little idea of what was already on her list so it left him with little perspective on what to include and leave out of his own. He gave a small shrug to feign disinterest, "Cylus will be cold and dark, Ashan will be a little better. Make sure you have a way to keep the fresh water from freezing and a way to keep the lights on while people move around. Glowstones are good but they don't give off warmth. Fire is good for warmth but when I'm around it puts the settlement at a little more risk of combustion. Soon it might even do the same just in response to you. Really, though, I'm sure you have it under control."

[Elisabeth Black]

Arc 721, 53 Zi'da

Their conversations always followed a specific pattern – she talked, and he thought. Occasionally, he had information to share, but Elisabeth had always considered herself someone that could get stuck in her own mind. And then she met Balthazar, who easily outpaced her in the deep thoughts department.

Elisabeth, seasons prior, had promised him that she would try to stop analyzing him so much, and for the most part, she had honored that promise. Of course, he wasn't home often, so that helped. The mage also kept his thoughts private, so there wasn't much to analyze. Did she wish that he would sometimes be more open and let her in on things? Obviously, but it wasn't who he was.

To be fair, he told her more than most others – at least about private things. Elisabeth knew without question that she had his love and trust. If she had to guess, Balthazar was not a fan of wedding planning, and she didn't blame him. Being married to the only man she had ever loved was something the young woman didn't think would ever be, and now that she knew his heart on the matter, it couldn't come soon enough.

The bond the pair shared was equally incredible as problematic at times. The moment his discipline slipped, revealing conflicting emotions when she prodded him regarding settlement matters, Elisabeth felt it, although outwardly, there was no sign of such. He did rattle off some information, good information, but her mind was stuck on the reason why it had caused struggle in the first place. Balthazar had called her a good leader, so it had nothing to do with that. Was he really that uncomfortable with her asking his opinion?

Nodding in response to his comment, she let the matter rest. Keeping the water from freezing – she hadn't thought of that. One of the settlers probably would have, but for some reason, she hadn't. Everything else was on her list and ready to be implemented.

As they made their way to the farm, Elisabeth took his hand, gently squeezing it. They had gotten a few significant things decided, which was good enough for one trial. She would have time to work on the wedding details while he was away for work and spending what time he had left in Haven with him instead seemed like a much better use of it.

[Jackalope]

]

Experience: +15 xp
Magic: No.
Collaboration: Yes
Wealth Points No.
Loot None.
Renown See below.
Injuries None.


General comments

It’s hard enough to plan a wedding without having to build your own chapel! This is a pleasant thread, and it’s good to see Balthazar and Elisabeth back again. I appreciate how you both use the discussion of the wedding as a launch for reminiscences about the characters’ pasts, both shared and separate, and to reflect on how it affects who they are now.

Reading this thread leaves me wanting to read more.

I’m sure that Sir Storm will get plenty of fish bits at the wedding.

I gave Balthazar a small amount of Renown simply because I figured his Haven homecoming would make a bit of a splash.

Balthazar

Skillplay: Appropriate to level.

Knowledge:

None requested.

Renown +5

Elisabeth

Skillplay: Appropriate to level.

Knowledge:

None requested.

Enjoy your rewards!