Life of the Party

. . .

No, I don't care about them all
'Cause all I want is to be loved
And all I care about is you
You're stuck on me like a tattoo

The conclusion that Caelum made about Therion and herself, of them seeming to be meant for each other, had crossed her mind several times too. From the moment Therion found her in that square all those days ago. It was hard to believe at first, and she barely dared herself to allow that thought to enter her mind for a long time, but over time she had a hard time seeing it any other way. Hearing Caelum come to the same idea.. it felt good, heartwarming, and right. A confirmation that she wasn't just chasing some kind of castle on a cloud that was only in her own mind. Maybe that was why she got so upset before? Because it wasn't just a fling. This was important to her—him becoming a part of her life, meeting her family, and showing them she was serious—and his drunken behavior made her feel like he didn't care as much. It was why she asked Caelum her next question. Somewhere deep down, she hoped Therion had said something meaningful to Caelum. To prove that he did care about her. Not just behind closed doors or in private. She couldn't hide the slight disappointment in her eyes when Caelum answered, before she looked away again, focusing on her fingertips on the water. But his next words made her smile absentmindedly, thinking of the man she loved and everything he had done so far. She could feel her heart swell, and her feelings of guilt for her own actions grew even more. Maybe... just maybe... she had overreacted a bit?

She could hear the remorse in Caelum's voice, so she stood up from her seat to face the young man again. "That's sweet of you to say." she placed her hand on his arm and granted him a thankful smile. "I hope you're right. But that would also mean that I may have overreacted before." She chuckled a bit nervously. "I just wanted everyone to see how serious we are." She sighed a bit in defeat, unsure of what she really wanted with all this. "But now I'm not sure if that really is.. was the right course of action." She sat down again, her fingers nervously playing with the fabric of her dress, still a little moist after the Chaska bathing fiasco. "My sister and brother are going to confront us sooner than later. We have received nothing but judgmental looks and whispers behind our backs, ever since we set foot at the party together. And I'm pretty sure my father is trying to arrange a marriage between you and me, dropping hints all night." Unable to stop the waterfall of words, Aniu opened up about all her stressors. "You're the only one who has been kind and honest about us... Gods, and all we've done is involve you in relationship drama that just feels stupid now." She placed her hand on her forehead for a moment and shook her head. "And now I'm just blabbering on and on." She sighed, glancing up at Caelum apologetically. "I'm sorry. You didn't ask for this either." She may have spilled more than she intended to. Unsure if Caelum was aware of her father's plans. Though, it was all speculation from her as well. The poor kid probably clung to the same boat as she had done for years. Desperately trying to avoid the chains of an arranged marriage, seeing as he too was still unmarried.

For a moment, she gazed past the Vylasar in front of her into the dark shadows of the garden. The hair in the back of her neck stood straight up when she noticed a familiar silhouette not far from them. Making her heart glow to know that he had come back. "I hope you do find love, Caelum. And when you do, take my advice. Don't ever let it go. No matter who or what gets in the way." She stood up and walked in a straight line to Therion as she spoke. "I made that mistake once. I'm not making it again." Taking his face in her hands, she pressed her lips against his in a deeply loving kiss.

Caelum & Therion

Wedding fitje

Caelum Vylasar

Luckily the slight dissapointment that glossed over her face was gone when he said he could see Therion clearly liked her, despite not knowing a lot about it himself. Caelum had never found himself in such a situation before, never actually met someone he even liked a little. He was never in that position, never sought it out. But he did love the idea of love, and he hoped he could love one day too. Even though he probably ended up in an arranged marriage just like Ezekiel and Chaska. Maybe he could still find love then, as well? It was clear at least, that Aniu didn't want to have an arranged marriage either, and that she wanted to be with Therion.

She told him she felt like she might have overreacted before and that she wanted everyone to see how serious they were. Caelum smiled softly at that, because he sure noticed. He shrugged a little when she said it may had not been the right course of action. 'You never know that, untill you have tried it, right? Now you know... Maybe you can try a different approach, towards your brother and sister, and your parents too,' he spoke softly. He didn't know either what the right move would be, but you could at least try different things. Untill one time it will work.

When he heard her next words, about her father trying to arrange a marriage between him and her, he blinked in surprised. That one he didn't saw coming, even though now he thought about it, it was a logical step to take. They were both around the same age, and if Ezekiel and Chaska can marry, why couldn't they? Caelum only hated the idea, though. Not because of Aniu herself, but because he didn't want to get in between her and Therion. And above all else, he knew she wouldn't be happy with him, so why would he want such a marriage? He sighed, looking down for a moment as she spoke her next words to him. Caelum smiled slightly, looking back up at her. 'Don't be sorry for spilling your troubles. I'm glad I could be there, even though we just met,' he chuckled. 'And if it is really true, the talks about a marriage between us... I will do everything I can to not make that happen, I promise. I don't want to come in between you and Therion and... Well, I probably can't make you as happy as you are with him.'

They fell silent for a moment and Caelum looked up at the night sky. The stars shone brightly, filling the black sky with the absence of the moon. Like they finally got their chance to show off their true light. He looked back down when Aniu spoke again. It made him smile again. 'I will remember that, Ani,' he said with a little nod, and watched her walk over to Therion, who apparently had found them in the big garden. The two of them together made him smile and... Made him feel longing for that too, somewhere. It was the first time he actually thought about the idea of love and marriage. Would something like that come onto his path sooner than he had expected, or will he be able to wait just a while longer? He truly wondered what the near future would hold for him.

We can be heroes

Even if it was only the last bit of the conversation that he could hear, it still filled his heart with love for the woman that was standing below him. It was true, what Ani was speaking about, Caelum was the only one thus far who had been supportive of the relationship he was having with the younger sorcerer. All the others gave them side eyes or were talking behind his back, as he had noticed when they were dancing together. Which might have been the reason why he had to reassure Ani that he loved her. He smiled shyly, thinking back at that, before he noticed how she had seen him and walked up to him. He waved slowly, but before he could say anything, she pressed her lips against his in a passionate kiss. Wrapping her in his arms, he kissed her back. But it felt unfair towards their bystander and thus he didn't drawn out the kiss for too long. He looked at her lovingly when he broke away, before looking over Ani towards Caelum. "I thank you for being so supportive about us, young Vylasar." He said with a grin on his face. "And I do hope that you ever find the feeling of true love, without the restrains from ones duty." He kept Ani close to him, but couldn't resist to kiss her head again. "Now Ani, it would be disrespectful to leave Caelum here alone. How about we find something that we can all do together." He suggested with a smile towards her cousin.

< tag: aniu & caelum vylasar >

elyon

Random event
Small black-eyed jewelry thief

While the three sorcerers are walking through the garden together, they are being watched from above, very carefully, by a family of magpies sitting in a tree. A few noises betray their presence, but most people have learned to block out the sounds of birds quarreling. However, one of them feels a bit too drawn to the shining pin keeping the dark raven hair of the Vylasar woman in a knot. In one quick swoosh, she flies down to grab hold of the expensive-looking piece of jewelry, escaping with it toward another tree standing not far away from them. Looking at them with those black pearl eyes, watching the chaos unfold while the entire hairdo becomes undone.

A magpie has stolen a hairpin from Aniu Vylasar.
You can choose to go after it, but you might need some luck to catch the little thief.
If an attempt had been made, please tag _nienn on discord

. . .

No, I don't care about them all
'Cause all I want is to be loved
And all I care about is you
You're stuck on me like a tattoo

Sometimes people just come onto your path at the exact right moment. That's how Aniu felt about Caelum. After a whole evening of prejudiced eyes burning into the backs of the couple, Caelum felt sent by Lythrana herself to ease her mind. Their paths could've easily crossed a hundred times before, and yet this was the first time she was able to meet him as an adult. It felt meant to be and she was more than grateful for him in that moment. The comfort that his words gave her made her smile as he chuckled. The guilt she felt for burying him in her word avalanche quickly melted away as he assured her. His promise touched her even more deeply. Making her feel like he was a true ally in their fight for love. Thank you, Caelum. You have no idea how much that means to me. I can't imagine being with anyone else but Therion, but... I consider myself lucky if I do end up becoming your wife.” She sincerely hoped Caelum would find that one person who would make him as happy as she was with Therion. Vowing to herself that she too will do everything she can to protect Caelum's love. There was no one who deserved it more.

This whole conversation made her realize, naturally, how much Therion meant to her. From the moment she saw him, she couldn't stop herself from getting to him and show it. How sorry she was about her rude and stupid reaction, just because the people around them had made her insecure. It shouldn't matter what other's think. He was the one and only thing that should matter to her. He was the one and only thing that did matter, and feeling his arms wrap around her as he pulled her close into their kiss made her feel complete again. When their lips parted, she met his gaze, with her eyes filled with love and remorse. Noticing how his hair was still moist, she pushed a lock behind his ear. She smiled in agreement when he spoke to Caelum, though she couldn't take her eyes off the Rizal herself. Especially when he spoke of true love and her heart started fluttering like an excited little Finch on a warm summer breeze. Confirming in her heart once more that, yes, this was true love. Therion was the love of her life.

She chuckled softly at Therion's suggestion and nodded in agreement. ”I'd love that.” Her hand found Therion's, intertwining her fingers with his as they ought to be. Making their way down the stairs, she found Therion on, heading towards Caelum. ”I'm sorry for..” Her attempt to apologize to Therion for her behavior from earlier, was rudely and suddenly interrupted when a gush of air and flapping wings near her face made her shriek in surprise. She felt her neatly tied-up hair fall down alongside his face as something took the hairpin she had borrowed from her mother—after lots and lots of begging and many promises she would keep it safe—leaving her in shock on the stairs. ”My pin!” As a reflex, her hands grabbed the back of her head, but it was already too late. The bird had taken it up into the dark tree canopy, and only the flickering of the shiny jewelry was visible in that darkness. ”Oh no! My mother will drown me for this!”

Caelum & Therion

Wedding fitje

Caelum Vylasar

Wondering about what may be in the future wouldn't get him far, sadly. He just hoped the decision about love and marriage wouldn't be made for him. Even if Aniu would count herself lucky married with him. Caelum would be lying if he wouldn't be revolting with the idea of marrying the girl in front of him, but he couldn't do it. Not when he knew about the love she had for another. He didn't want to come in between that, didn't want to ruin that for her. Of course they could find ways, but it would only complicate things. He didn't want to come in between them because their parents thought it was a nice fit and he'd do his best to not let it come that far. Therion thanked him aswell and told him he hoped for a true love for him. Caelum nodded slightly with a smile, letting his thanks be known that way. 'Thank you, both of you.'

Therion then suggested they do something with the three of them. Caelum smiled when the two walked up to him. 'Oh, I don't want to take time away from you two,' he started. Caelum was just fine returning to the party, leaving the two lovebirds in peace in the garden. Aniu started to apologise for something too, but she was rudely interrupted by a bird. Caelum instantly reached for his sword at his hip, following the bird with his eyes. He looked back at Aniu. It was her mothers pin, apparently. Caelum could imagine what kind of trouble she would be in if the pin would be for real lost. 'Damn birds,' he muttered softly and sighed, swiftly pulling his staff to summon his familiar Cat. 'Cat, follow the magpie,' he instructed him, letting him go ahead already. He looked at Therion, expecting him to offer his help aswell.