Post by Idleness on Dec 30, 2013 12:45:41 GMT 10
Title: A Late Wedding
Rating: G
For: kuno
Prompt: Kel and Dom's wedding feast.
Summary: Yuki keeps time and observes leaving etiquette.
Notes and Warnings: Hope you like it!
It was getting late when Yuki extracted herself from a tangle of mature-aged female relatives of the bride, who were making ribald jokes about the happy couple’s first night as newlyweds. That she was now far enough into her thirties to be considered almost one of them made her shudder inwardly, but she suppressed that thought for now.
The room was still very full of guests. Yuki knew that Kel hadn’t wanted a fuss, but there were such a great many people who desired to wish them well. Kel’s parents were of course present, Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami, Lord Raoul and Buri, Kel’s knight friends, Lady Alanna and her husband, most of Neal’s family, and many others that Yuki had spoken to over the evening. A large number of the guests were men from the Own, and though Dom had formally retired a fortnight prior, it appeared those invited to the wedding viewed it as a second retirement party.
Yuki observed the bride and groom close to a buffet table across the room from her. Kel still smiled impeccably as guests approached her, though Yuki could detect fatigue in her eyes. Dom, on the other hand, had stopped bothering to conceal his yawns about an hour ago. If things continued at this rate, Yuki supposed, their first night together as husband and wife would be rather chaste. The thought of pointing this out to the tittering aunties made her smile behind her fan. Besides, it was not as if their affair hadn’t been Tortall’s worst kept secret for the best part of a decade now.
She turned and sought out her own husband. Neal was seated at a table talking with some of his Masbolle relations. She caught his eye and gave him a meaningful look over her fan. Neal, understanding her completely, nodded and excused himself. Yuki waited for him to make his way over, and together they approached Kel and Dom to take their leave.
“Are you escaping now too?” a voice from behind asked.
Yuki turned and smiled at Buri. Raoul sidled up alongside, a sleeping black-haired child slung over his shoulder. He still commanded the Own, but much less actively these days. Yuki reached up and patted the child on the cheek.
“We are. I think it’s time.”
“One can’t stay out so late now, with the little ones,” said Raoul, eyes twinkling.
“Hah! And how will that excuse wash at the state banquets next week?” drawled Neal.
“Not nearly so well, unfortunately,” said Buri wryly.
Yuki knew Neal would have been happy to stay for as long as there were people he liked around, but her own sense of decorum dictated it was definitely time to leave. She glanced over to Kel and Dom, in time to see Dom cover another yawn while talking to yet more relations. Yuki decided she must not be a proper Yamani lady anymore, as she couldn’t find that she was at all bothered by this. Then again, proper Yamani guests would never dream of staying until the hosts fought to suppress yawns.
“I hear your eldest is making an impression in page training,” remarked Raoul.
Yuki smiled and Neal grimaced.
“Yes, well. I think I finally understand how my father felt,” said Neal drily. “But she is determined.”
Raoul chuckled at this and Yuki allowed herself to beam like a proud mother. Between herself, Kel, and Shinko, her daughter was probably better prepared than any other new page. Neal did his best to suppress his anxiety, but Yuki couldn’t really tell if he most feared her getting killed or grieved that his little girl was leaving childhood behind.
“You left the rest of your brood at home?” enquired Raoul.
“Yes, I find I savour time spent among adults these days,” Yuki agreed, a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips. The others grinned.
“Looks like the crowd around Kel and Dom is thinning,” said Buri. “This might be our opportunity.”
They descended upon the couple. Hands were shaken and cheeks kissed. Yuki took Kel’s hands in hers and smiled up at her friend, taking in the new lines around her eyes and strands of white that had colonised her temples over the past few years. Kel smiled back.
“When we were girls in the Islands, I never in my wildest dreams have imagined us all where we are today,” Yuki said at last.
“Then let’s not make too many guesses for where the future will find us,” replied Kel with a wry smile. “Are you heading back to the townhouse?”
“Yes—to make sure it’s still standing,” quipped Neal.
Dom reached over and patted Yuki’s hand sympathetically, and said, “My condolences. We were all hoping the kids would take after you, but alas...”
“Just wait until you have some of your own, my lad,” cackled Buri evilly. “And on that note, we had better be going.”
Yuki noticed Kel and Dom gave Buri a startled look. I wonder, she thought, and hid her smile behind her fan. The four of them said their farewells and imparted their good wishes, and exited the parlour. They parted ways soon thereafter; Raoul and Buri were still quartered in the palace, while Yuki and Neal went to fetch their horses for the ride home. It was a beautiful still winter evening.
“I give it another month until she starts showing,” announced Neal smugly after riding in silence for a while.
“Nealan!”
“Don’t give me that look; I have more integrity than that. Dom told me several weeks ago.”
Yuki laughed—that was very sly of Neal to keep that bit of information from her. She had suspected, but Kel had ignored all of her hints and fishing questions.
“Well, I’d wondered,” she admitted. “The court gossips will be doing some quick finger counting when the baby is born.”
“I bet they will,” scoffed Neal.
“Then I guess we better be prepared to be godparents,” Yuki mused. After all, it would only be natural.
Rating: G
For: kuno
Prompt: Kel and Dom's wedding feast.
Summary: Yuki keeps time and observes leaving etiquette.
Notes and Warnings: Hope you like it!
It was getting late when Yuki extracted herself from a tangle of mature-aged female relatives of the bride, who were making ribald jokes about the happy couple’s first night as newlyweds. That she was now far enough into her thirties to be considered almost one of them made her shudder inwardly, but she suppressed that thought for now.
The room was still very full of guests. Yuki knew that Kel hadn’t wanted a fuss, but there were such a great many people who desired to wish them well. Kel’s parents were of course present, Prince Roald and Princess Shinkokami, Lord Raoul and Buri, Kel’s knight friends, Lady Alanna and her husband, most of Neal’s family, and many others that Yuki had spoken to over the evening. A large number of the guests were men from the Own, and though Dom had formally retired a fortnight prior, it appeared those invited to the wedding viewed it as a second retirement party.
Yuki observed the bride and groom close to a buffet table across the room from her. Kel still smiled impeccably as guests approached her, though Yuki could detect fatigue in her eyes. Dom, on the other hand, had stopped bothering to conceal his yawns about an hour ago. If things continued at this rate, Yuki supposed, their first night together as husband and wife would be rather chaste. The thought of pointing this out to the tittering aunties made her smile behind her fan. Besides, it was not as if their affair hadn’t been Tortall’s worst kept secret for the best part of a decade now.
She turned and sought out her own husband. Neal was seated at a table talking with some of his Masbolle relations. She caught his eye and gave him a meaningful look over her fan. Neal, understanding her completely, nodded and excused himself. Yuki waited for him to make his way over, and together they approached Kel and Dom to take their leave.
“Are you escaping now too?” a voice from behind asked.
Yuki turned and smiled at Buri. Raoul sidled up alongside, a sleeping black-haired child slung over his shoulder. He still commanded the Own, but much less actively these days. Yuki reached up and patted the child on the cheek.
“We are. I think it’s time.”
“One can’t stay out so late now, with the little ones,” said Raoul, eyes twinkling.
“Hah! And how will that excuse wash at the state banquets next week?” drawled Neal.
“Not nearly so well, unfortunately,” said Buri wryly.
Yuki knew Neal would have been happy to stay for as long as there were people he liked around, but her own sense of decorum dictated it was definitely time to leave. She glanced over to Kel and Dom, in time to see Dom cover another yawn while talking to yet more relations. Yuki decided she must not be a proper Yamani lady anymore, as she couldn’t find that she was at all bothered by this. Then again, proper Yamani guests would never dream of staying until the hosts fought to suppress yawns.
“I hear your eldest is making an impression in page training,” remarked Raoul.
Yuki smiled and Neal grimaced.
“Yes, well. I think I finally understand how my father felt,” said Neal drily. “But she is determined.”
Raoul chuckled at this and Yuki allowed herself to beam like a proud mother. Between herself, Kel, and Shinko, her daughter was probably better prepared than any other new page. Neal did his best to suppress his anxiety, but Yuki couldn’t really tell if he most feared her getting killed or grieved that his little girl was leaving childhood behind.
“You left the rest of your brood at home?” enquired Raoul.
“Yes, I find I savour time spent among adults these days,” Yuki agreed, a wry smile tugging at the corners of her lips. The others grinned.
“Looks like the crowd around Kel and Dom is thinning,” said Buri. “This might be our opportunity.”
They descended upon the couple. Hands were shaken and cheeks kissed. Yuki took Kel’s hands in hers and smiled up at her friend, taking in the new lines around her eyes and strands of white that had colonised her temples over the past few years. Kel smiled back.
“When we were girls in the Islands, I never in my wildest dreams have imagined us all where we are today,” Yuki said at last.
“Then let’s not make too many guesses for where the future will find us,” replied Kel with a wry smile. “Are you heading back to the townhouse?”
“Yes—to make sure it’s still standing,” quipped Neal.
Dom reached over and patted Yuki’s hand sympathetically, and said, “My condolences. We were all hoping the kids would take after you, but alas...”
“Just wait until you have some of your own, my lad,” cackled Buri evilly. “And on that note, we had better be going.”
Yuki noticed Kel and Dom gave Buri a startled look. I wonder, she thought, and hid her smile behind her fan. The four of them said their farewells and imparted their good wishes, and exited the parlour. They parted ways soon thereafter; Raoul and Buri were still quartered in the palace, while Yuki and Neal went to fetch their horses for the ride home. It was a beautiful still winter evening.
“I give it another month until she starts showing,” announced Neal smugly after riding in silence for a while.
“Nealan!”
“Don’t give me that look; I have more integrity than that. Dom told me several weeks ago.”
Yuki laughed—that was very sly of Neal to keep that bit of information from her. She had suspected, but Kel had ignored all of her hints and fishing questions.
“Well, I’d wondered,” she admitted. “The court gossips will be doing some quick finger counting when the baby is born.”
“I bet they will,” scoffed Neal.
“Then I guess we better be prepared to be godparents,” Yuki mused. After all, it would only be natural.
Maybe once we'd have seen it during Smackdown!