[OTA] We Are Gathered Here | The Fox-Kattalakis Wedding

[headfollowheart]

A few things had gone wrong, honestly. There had been some confusion in the morning when they’d arrived to decorate the church - a few bouquets on the altar, some green and blue ribbons twined around a few of the posts - and it’d been locked. She’d managed to leave Spade Castle with her dress, veil, the coin from his mother strung on a thin leather thong, the emerald silk sash and Victor’s ring - but of all things, she’d managed to leave her shoes in their box in the closet, and Chives had had to go back for that. Hadyn looked a little green from his adventure shanghaiing Victor with Ben and Elisha, her cousin Sara had in usual Sara fashion managed to break the heel on her left shoe. Nerves finally hit as Chives was braiding her hair, and by the time the veil was settled over the smooth curls, her nails had left indents in her palms.

In the end, though, it was pretty much perfect. Two of her closest friends preceded her down the aisle in soft blue dresses with forget-me-nots in their braided hair and small posies in their hands. She’d walked towards her fiance on her brother’s arm with her hands full of spring flowers, and after the words were said and Victor lifted the veil, they were married. It only felt a little different than before, Zoe thought as their brief kiss ended. But it was different; she was Zoe Fox.

Zoe Fox knew, of course, that Victor Fox would have preferred them to just slip back to their apartment - no big party, no flowing wine and hors d'oeuvres - but she’d wanted something. And he’d given her carte blanche in the end, really; she’d chosen the small reception room that opened out into the Castle gardens, she’d picked the combination of hyacinths, hydragea, and lily of the valley for the table arrangements, the Greek-flavored menu of spanakopita, wild green and strawberry salad, linguine primavera and herb-encrusted lamb. She’d pored over cake designs until she finally picked a vanilla bean cake with strawberry puree filling, decorated in vanilla buttercream. She’d pruned the list of friends, family and acquaintances who might be expected to be invited to the wedding reception until they numbered barely fifty.

Under the strict supervision of Chives, of course the reception looked perfect, she thought as they arrived, and she smiled as she slipped her hand into Victor’s arm and the full skirt of her dress swirled against both of their legs. Perfect, though perfect didn’t matter quite so much to her right now.

Comments

[bluntforces]

There's a calm laugh for that as he pulls them into a bit of a twirl. "And what about 'sorta perfect?' Like... when life ain't flashy, but it's exactly what ya want it t' be?"

[bluntforces]

"'cause it's us," he laughs, catching her chin to hold them in a soft, lingering sort of kiss.

[hamelinic]

"And that, I hear, is the far better sort to make one's commitments to. Much more likely to remember you've made them."

[gardenplots]

They'd both fled in their own way, Maggie to the Hearts and Michael off Deck. "This is where we've lived long enough to claim to be old dogs." She laughs. "Old bitch for my part. I never was much good at tricks.

"Change comes from lower down. That's the problem people always make. I don't think Sean would have lasted so long after Domitian if he hadn't been an infinitesimal improvement." Sad she could admit that, but it was the truth. "Same can be said for David. Let's hope the new one continues the trend."

[threecardmonty]

His brows go up. "The wedding or surviving it?" He bends to tease against her ear. "More important, is that a 'deserve" as in, that person should get an award or 'deserve" as in glad they got what was coming to them?"

[onlytolerable]

"It'll be here before you know it." A vision of the wedding party (complete with lace-wearing pythons and a tiny garter snake bearing the ring round its middle) pops into her head and she bites down hard on her cheek. This should probably be her last drink unless they have more toasts.

"Sophie's fine," she adds knowing from her experience with Isaac it will never fly, but the attempt must be made.

[onlytolerable]

"Remind us that we're both ridiculous people judging by how often he says it." Normally, they can find time for themselves when Sitara was asleep, but it was always nice to have an entire evening.

[old_dog]

"Alright." Nice to hear Chives say something normal for once. It can almost lead a disillusioned man to believe that there is still hope left in the world. He can only hope that Chives doesn't look at her like she has an octopus for a head, because sometimes with all the fussing and staring that's how he makes Michael feel.

"You can go boss catering around if you must. The wedding won't become the scandalous wreck of the century because I've got three rebellious strands of hair."

[old_dog]

"There's no reason not to go back to a place you've enjoyed going to. But if you're up for something new, I'm sure you could get by if you pick up a few words here and there beforehand." Surely one of the Spades spoke enough Spanish to lend Zoe a hand.

[old_dog]

For now it seems as if things have really changed since they've got a nice boy for a king. But what Maggie said was true. It wouldn't matter so much what kind of King they had if the rest of the Suit was stuck in their old ways. It'd only be a matter of time before the nice boy-king gets himself dethroned and then all the progress they had appeared to be making would be undone.

Thankfully there seemed to be enough of these unruly, incorrigible optimists around that Clive wouldn't have to worry about anything just yet.

"I don't think you get to live this long without picking up a few tricks over the years."

[falsepretences]

"The bridesmaid dresses aren't acres of hot pink tulle, though." He'd missed that particular wedding but he'd heard. "And there wasn't a flower girl. So I suppose I might just have to make do with the last item on that little list of yours."

[headfollowheart]

Hadyn knows Spanish too; he'd learned more useful languages, really, while Charlotte had drilled Zoe in the languages of music - French and Italian, and the German of Mozart and Beethoven. Greek, of course, she'd spoken before any of those. "Probably I can," she says easily. "If Victor thinks we have time, maybe I'll suggest Barcelona or Seville."

[unsungheart]

"I Will Always Love You is incredibly depressing," he says, and taps his fingers against his thigh, looking serious. As if his pants weren't falling down. "Maybe, I Wanna Dance With Somebody?"

[gardenplots]

"Nonsense. I'm exactly as I seem, an old Heart lady." She chuckles. "Nothing to see here. Move along." She watches Zoe and Victor dancing a moment. "Keep an eye on her, please. I doubt he'd allow anything to happen to her, but still." Zoe is not a child and definitely fair game.

She gives herself a shake. "What is it about this place that makes me morose? I blame the gargoyles. I'm sure no one would say a word if we escaped--I mean, if you chose to show me this garden you've been working on."

[piqued]

She's surely used to the quiet Staring, then. That had been, in their youth, a completely Shared trait between the then butlers-in-training when confronted with the Inexplicable.

"...as you say, Mistress."

[piqued]

This Chives, at least, was doing quite Well. The question of whether is parents would forever look askance at the poor woman, however, was yet to be Answered.

"Do you understand the concept of the word perfect, milord?"

It meant Every Detail. Every Last Hair.

[old_dog]

"Alright. Well I hope he does listen to you, and then the two of you can have some well-deserved time off." He'd reassure her that the Deck wasn't going anywhere and she could come back to spending late nights at work if that's what she really wanted to do, but who knew anything for certainty about the Deck after all that's happened?

[old_dog]

For two supposedly old innocent wallflowers, they've done quite well for themselves, haven't they?

"Yes, my Lady," he teased with a poorly-disguised smile. Zoe might have some Spade qualities about her, but she wasn't the same as the others.

He can't help but laugh at the mention of the gargoyles. He suspects - he knows - it's much more than the gargoyles. But today wasn't the day, and this wasn't the occasion to be digging up sad stories.

So instead he tilts his head towards the doorway.

"The garden that looks more like a landfill right now is that way."

[old_dog]

"I do. There are also concepts of Jesus and alien pregnancies. That doesn't mean they exist." Any attempts Chives might initiate to make physical contact with Michael's hair would be promptly met with physical and verbal resistance.

[oneirophiliac]

Oh, that. That is absolutely the sort of thing she doesn't blush for in the middle of the dance floor. Nope. Absolutely not.

At least it goes with her huge grin. And also her dress, but the grin is far more important.

[sirforawhile]

Maybe some day in the very, very distant future, they'd all come around to the idea of Victor being Zoe's husband. In the very, very far future, perhaps. After a baby or two.

For now, it's still nebulous.

"Hey- we both know she'd speak up if he did, right?" Right?

[sirforawhile]

...hm. This requires thought.

And a very pertinent question. "Can Riley lift you?"

[grrranimals]

Dillon, Dillon, Dillon, never undertake a game of chicken with a Bowen. Tess smiles sweetly and leans close.

"Bring it. You'll be the one singing."

[grrranimals]

Despite her nearly phobic avoidance of the topic, Tess has always seen marriage as a new beginning, not an ending. "You make it sound like people curl up and die once they tie the knot."

[grrranimals]

Tess smiles thanks to the bartender as she accepts the chilled glass. "Sounds like our lot, though we mostly stick to the two. I think one of the wayward cousins is C of E--the traitor." She's clearly joking. Like many Deck-born, she doesn't lean one way or the other.

She looks over the crowd of party-goers and sighs. "I'll need to avoid home for the next two weeks at least or Mum will drive me bonkers. Maybe I'll luck out and one of the sibs will turn up pregnant again. That ought to distract her."