[ OPEN ] here comes the bride, all dressed in white...

[khajidont]

WHO: Jaime, Ruka and their guests & +1s! Their reception is open to be a big ol’ imPort party and everyone’s invited, so feel free to have your characters party crash!
WHERE: The ceremony is at a Church in Heropa, and then at a hall that’s been rented out by the beach.
WHEN: Today!
WHAT: Ruka and Jaime tie the knot! There’s a ceremony at the Church, a booze and food-fueled reception, and if you weren’t planning to go in the first place, you might want to drop by when you see some supervillains making their way to the hall...
WARNINGS: People are going to get drunk, and everyone knows that the best place to make out behind the venue is at a wedding.




i. THE CEREMONY.

The ceremony itself is a simple affair, done at a small, colourfully decorated Catholic Church that many of Jaime’s friends may already know of; it’s the same place he’s gone every Sunday for years now, and it’s become a staple in his life -- and now, in Ruka’s life as well. The pews are filled with their imPort friends, but also plenty of locals, particularly the ones who are regular attendees of the Church. Still, it’s a small, intimate affair, quietly formal even though it’s overwhelmingly sentimental. Candles line the tables along the sides of the Church, including one table that’s been decked out with pictures. Most are of what can only be Jaime’s family, pictures filled with faces that look much like his own, but there are a few outliers for Ruka’s much more hodge-podge definition of family. Jaime himself is decked out in a well-fitted formal suit - relatively sober in colour and print, despite Lucina’s best efforts - and, predictably, as soon as Ruka steps through the door in that full-blown traditional Western-style bridal gown, he immediately bursts out sobbing. They’re not particularly pretty tears either, but anyone who knows them probably also knew this was going to happen; Ruka at least seems fully aware of who she’s marrying, and is the one plying him with spare handkerchiefs once she’s at the altar.

With a friendly pat on the shoulder from the officiant, Jaime at least stops blubbering long enough to say his vows; Ruka’s are a little more long-winded, as expected, though she ends up hiding her face behind her veil for a good portion of the exchange, flustered and overwhelmed. Once the bride and groom kiss, there’s time for people to make small talk - awkward without the help of alcohol for some - and for pictures to be taken. Jaime especially seems focused on the pictures, and may well strong-arm any number of the guests aside with a cry of, “Just one more, I promise! No, I don’t promise. But just one more now, okay?”

It probably doesn’t escape anyone’s attention that there’s a videographer here as well. Whatever the reason, they seem intent on not letting a second pass them by.

ii. THE RECEPTION.

Much more festive is the reception! All of the guests are hauled by rented limos to a beachside venue just outside of Heropa to a large hall with, what won’t escape anyone’s attention, bartenders already perched behind the bar, ready to go. There are tables filled with plenty of food, buffet-style, both Mexican and Japanese food represented on either side of the hall, a table to drop off gifts or cards for the newlyweds, and a large dance hall ready to go. After the requisite speeches - and the bouquet toss; maybe your character caught it! - Jaime, already cheerfully tipsy, says into the mic, “It’s an open bar, so everyone drink up!”

There’s drinking, there’s dancing, and there’s plenty of feasting to be had! And if it all becomes a bit too much for you, that’s why it’s right by the beach; guests are welcome to go sit out by the patio or to exit the venue entirely for a spell and go for a romantic walk down the beachside of their own.

iii. THE PARTY CRASHER.

Of course, this is a superhero wedding, which means at least one person has to try to crash it. Just as the guests are sitting down to eat, three supervillains crash through the door (though they do take the time to pose; they want to be on tv after all!). Introducing themselves are THE BARBAROUS BUTCHER, PROFESSOR PECULIAR, and SENTINAUGHTY, the last of which seems to be having a bit too much fun. The Barbarous Butcher is equipped with a robotic set of transforming butcher’s knives, able to shift in temperature, size, vibrations, and able to shoot out tinier knives. (At this point, he’d be better off with guns, right?). Professor Peculiar isn’t much better, with her vapour gun filled with all manners of smoke and gas, even if she seems to favour the ones that just smell rancid. Sentinaughty is perched on a robot of her own, with a drone hovering lazily over one outstretched hand.

Of course, none of this is enough to ruin the party; a superhero wedding naturally has some superheroes attending, and they’re good enough to wipe the floor with any interlopers mighty quick. But if you happen to be passing by and want to lend a hand -- well, it’s only right that you’re offered an invitation to stay and take in the food and drink.

Even without the guests, it’s quite possible that Jaime would like to take care of them himself as he sharply stands up, hands flat on the table. “You have got to be kidding me. Okay, I’m killing these guys.”

He’s not actually going to kill them... but at this point, it’s pretty darn tempting.

Comments

ota!!

[khajidont]

i. rubbing elbows.

[ Jaime is determined to greet everyone kind enough to come to this event, and you're no exception. Now that his eyes have been mainly dried and his suit smoothed out, Jaime's bound to approach you with, ] Hey -- thank you so much for coming. That, um, that means a lot.

[ Or, of course, he might muscle you into a picture! There's a photographer right there and ready for your close-up. ]

ii. family reminiscence.

[ After Jaime's greeted anyone who wanted to greet him, he pauses at the table at the back. It feels odd, like paying respects to people who are dead, even if most of them are very much alive. Today is the happiest day of his life, but he'd be lying if he said there wasn't something a little melancholy about the knowledge of what it was supposed to be, this great big wedding with his entire extended family invited, his bride being welcomed into the Reyes fold. Instead it's just the two of them. Even those who had served as their older sibling or parental figures in the past have long since ported out.

He lingers at one photo of his family, taken at their last family reunion. There's his father, a bearded man with a cane grasped in one hand, his mother, a bright bespectacled woman, his little sister with her hair tugged up into pigtails, and his grandmother, stooped with age and face as wrinkled as an apple left out in the sun, her smile spreading across her entire face. He taps the photo frame. ]

You would've liked her. I made a good choice.

iii. superheroics

[ Jaime knew that more supervillains were clamoring about these days thanks to that stupid competition, but he wasn't expecting them to pop up at his wedding.

No -- he was. He was just really hoping that they wouldn't. When he rises from his seat, it's with a furious swiftness, his suit already disappearing as his carapace begins to emerge from underneath his skin, already half formed by the time he's stepped over the table. ]

Couldn't even give us one day --

[ He's going to beat them up. Maybe you'll help! Or maybe you're in need of saving! Or, if you're quick and efficient, you can tell him to sit back and enjoy the night so you can handle them. ]

iv. drank.

[ Jaime's a lightweight. Now he's a lightweight on his wedding night, where a glass of champagne seems smart to loosen up his nerves, and a drink with dinner is just what's appropriate, and someone else offered him a drink, and whoops --

It's time to try to sober up. He can count the number of times he's been drunk on both hands (maybe just the one unless he stretches the definition of drunk) and he's not going to get sloppy on his wedding night! Still, you're welcome to run into him as he sits and watches the party happily and hazily from his seat at the head table - eyes tracking Ruka all the while, of course - and swiftly all drink offers that come his way.

Or you can see him outside, elbows resting on the balcony as he moves Ruka move across the floor inside. A bit of fresh air never hurt anyone. ]

v. wildcard.

[ Take your pick! He's going to be available doing all of the normal wedding things -- eating, drinking, making merry. ]

iv

[fauxmarth]

Sir Beetle--

[she taps his shoulder, stepping back to let him turn, smiling lopsidedly as she holds out a glass of water.]

Have you worn yourself out already? Even Khaji Da?

[khajidont]

What? No! The night is young and so are we! [ Jaime protests, running one hand through his hair - gelled, oops; time to slap his hands together to get rid of some of the stickiness - and grinning at Lucina, a little lopsidedly.

Okay, he's a little tired. And buzzed. And, like, excited? God, he's tipsy. ]

I'm just not used to drinking that much. You saw how many cheerses there were!

i.

[runningstart]

I can tell your eyes are red, [Wally snickers out of the corner of his mouth as Jaime wrangles him (not that he'd fight a photo op) into a picture. Wally waits just pre-shutter to throw up bunny ears behind Jaime's head and brings them back down just as fast.] KD making sure you stay hydrated?

[khajidont]

Oh, shut up! [ Jaime says, swatting Wally across the side of the head. ] They are not. And they can photoshop that out. [ He gives the photographer a stricken look. ] You can photoshop that out, right? That's, like, a thing you do?

[ The long-suffering photographer assents with a thumbs-up. Jaime breathes a sigh of relief because while no amount of photoshop tricks can salvage what was his meltdown at the altar, he's at least getting a few good posed photos. ]

Khaji always makes sure I'm hydrated. It's just a shame he can't be in any of the photos. He's a part of the wedding party. Just like you, ya dingus.

ii

[monster_san]

[Fuu noticed the little table in the back when they arrived, and she did take a glance over it. Now that she sees Jaime there, she approaches again. She's a little unsure about interrupting what is--well, what is a moment between himself and his family, really.

But she does anyway. She doesn't think she'll be unwelcome.]

I'm sure they would agree. Anyone who knows either of you can see it.

[khajidont]

Yeah. You're right. I just wish they could've met her. They would have loved her, [ Jaime says wistfully. And maybe wistful isn't the right mood for a wedding, but almost every mood is the right mood for a wedding. They've earned a little of it, seeing the rows that should be filled that are empty, the friends and family who aren't here, both from here and from home. He brushes his thumb against the top of the frame. ]

Have I ever told you how big my family is back home?

iv

[tadeadshi]

[It's a good ceremony, all things considered. Even with the whole ordeal - he let Hiro take that on, he's still not cut out for the whole hero thing.

This is still a fair number of people in one place and Tadashi finds himself needing a little space. So he moves to the balcony and smiles a little seeing Jaime there. He takes a spot next to him, leaning back.]

It was a good ceremony, Jaime. Congratulations.

[khajidont]

Oh, [ Jaime says, looking at Tadashi and giving him a lopsided smile. He sidles a little closer so he can fling one arm around his big ol' shoulders, squeezing a little. This isn't the first time he did this. It won't be the last, either. ]

Thanks, man. It means a lot that you're here. Really.

[ He and Ruka were hurtling down this path before Tadashi arrived. And they would have had the wedding without him too, with an empty spot there in both of their hearts. That he's here - that Wally's here - feels like something of a miracle. He lets his arm fall to his side, looking back over the ocean. ]

You ever think when we first met that eventually you'd be attending my wedding?

iv.

[fridgeflower]

[ Laurie's strayed ever-so-slightly from the straight and narrow path over the past couple of years, and she's thus a little more adapted to being drunk and a little more okay with mildly sloppy territory. Not that she's gone overboard. She's taking her Best Person role seriously, so she's sober enough for any potential assisting responsibilities. Probably. If whoever she's assisting doesn't mind a little wobbling.

As she joins Jaime outside, some of her updo is starting to slip and she's ditched her fitted suit jacket. She grabs the balcony rail and rocks slightly for a second, matching the beat of the music inside. Then she stills, looking his way and laughing. ]

Hey, champ. How ya feeling?

[khajidont]

Me? I'm feeling great! Happiest day of my life! You saw that!

[ He leans back against the banister. He's not so far gone that he won't sober up by the time he gets home, but right now? He's definitely feeling it and staring at the lights inside bob and weave. He's allowed to get a little drunk. It's their wedding!

So long as he doesn't get too drunk for Ruka's tastes, which wouldn't do. This is her night, after all, same as it's his night. He tilts his head her way and then says in a hushed voice, ] And a little drunk. You know, I practiced every part of this except the drinking. Maybe I shoulda done some training in advance.

increase ota

[fauxmarth]

o1.
There was much to be said about the ceremony itself -- the first of its like Lucina had ever seen before -- and much she'd be happy to speak on were she prompted to! All it took was catching her eye and approaching to engage her in a chat, something she invited easily enough with a smile and perhaps a small wave of greeting from where she was at any given time. Clad in a surprisingly-tame-for-Lucina's-taste dress, having dug up the tiara, she seemed almost in her element...despite feeling distinctly out of it. There was a lot more than the couple-of-the-day on her mind, after all.

Picking at food, picking at flower arrangements, picking at her own attire...there's anxious energy to burn, and she'll gladly latch onto the latest distraction. What she wouldn't give for an excuse to brandish steel and have a proper spar...!

o2.
"Curse you!"

Careful what you wish for, because this word sees fit to make it happen in foul fashion!

Filled with righteous indignation, Lucina will have no problem taking these villains in fine fashion. Of course, this means no decoration or hapless superhero bystander is safe from her barreling at or through things to subdue her quarry.

o1

[dragony]

"You know, I don't think the roses are up to anything nefarious."

There's a lot to keep track of at a wedding — a lot of moving pieces, a lot of people, a lot of potential small-scale catastrophes. Having a wedding party of pretty much all heroes should mitigate the worst of it... but they're all still people, for the most part, and that just makes things more precarious. Emotions run high, one thing leads to another, there's a crater where a city used to be... it's not the kind of thing that goes well into a scrapbook.

So when Ruka does one of her sweeps through the guests and finds Lucina picking at the flowers, pulling leaves and petals with the absent thought of pulling loose thread enough to unravel a shawl... she doesn't know if something is going on, but whatever it is, it's not nothing.

And so, the light tease for greeting, her hands folding behind her back. "Unless you've heard something I haven't?"

Is everything okay?

[fauxmarth]

"Eh-?!"

Lucina blinks in surprise -- more in noticing she'd been torturing the poor flowers than being greeted, that part was expected. Starting to blush, she retracts her hand to herself, lacing her fingers together at her middle as she clears her throat.

"Forgive me, I--I didn't even realize that's what I was doing! My thoughts were so far elsewhere..." Her eyes wince. "They really are lovely flowers! Really, everything is...it's lovely. Very much so." She dips her head, a brief reprieve of exposing her embarrassed face. "Thank you so much for letting me be part of it."

u know it's ota!!

[dragony]

♥ i. ceremony

[ To call it the happiest day of her life feels like an understatement.

Getting married wasn't something she'd really dreamed about — it had never really seemed like a possibility for her, not after becoming an imPort, or in the childhood before. Even this time last year it wasn't on her mind at all. So in that way, it's not some long-held wish finally come true, but... a sweet little miracle all the same. It feels like a dream. She's happy, giddy and uncomplicated — and though she keeps a drier face than the groom, she's smiling just as bright. ]

It's funny, [ she says at points, between the thank yous and the pictures and the everything else, laughter in her voice, ] but, this is the first wedding I've ever been to. I hope we didn't do too badly.

♥ ii. party START

[ The whirlwind continues at the reserved hall, and the buoy of good cheer just puts a brighter smile on Ruka's face. All the little traditions she's only seen in movies, the cheer of the guests, the joy of it all — it's all overwhelming in the best possible way. She has her gloves off for the sake of flashing the new ring on her hand, but nothing her empathy can pick up during all the shaking of hands for greeting or casual brushes and touches can make a dent in her good mood.

When she's not at the head table with Jaime — or pulling him back to the dance floor for another excuse to hold hands — she flits from one corner of the room to the other for small talk, stopping by the open bar for another drink (unlike the husband(!!), she can hold her own... even when it is compounded by everyone else's inebriation... sometimes it pays off to be a former teenage day-drinker). When it gets a bit much, she'll slip outside for a moment of calm, heels off for a short walk in the sand. In all cases though, she's just... very, very happy.

And okay maybe it's a little harder to keep herself from bursting into euphoric tears, but she's trying!! ]

♥ iii. party CRASH

Ugh.

[ That some... "supervillain" weirdos crash the reception isn't even a surprise, really. Ruka had hopes that nothing like this would happen, but it's not like they didn't plan around this. It's tempting to join the fray herself as a combatant, but she knows her limits, and she would actually prefer to get to the end of the night without blacking out thank-you-very-much. She'll leave the fighting to everyone else — instead, with the white sleeve of her gown glowing red as she treks her way across the dance floor, she creates an energy shield, spherical and red with that same glow. The shield darts from one part of the hall to another, swallowing up the powerless hired personnel, protecting them from harm as she forcefully evacuates them from the premises.

But with her shield so occupied, Ruka—literally glowing, and also the bride—is a target herself, and in a moment of distraction gets caught in the fire of the Barbarous Butcher's tiny, tiny knives. They cut through the fabric of the dress, but because there is so much bulk to the fabric of the gown, there's no vital damage to her yet, but— ]

Seriously? Do you know how much this thing cost? [ ruka should you maybe be more worried about the bleeding than the dress?? ... considering she pulls one of the knives out of the fabric and just... throws the blade back at the guy who attacked her... apparently not. ] Do not make me come over there.

♥ iv. wildcard

[ Got something else in mind? GO FOR IT. ]

iii.

[runningstart]

[It is in extremely poor form to avoid the bride of the wedding you attend, but that's exactly what Wally's been doing. Ever since that moment in Jaime's kitchen, with Wally sitting on the counter and realizing that oh, he doesn't have nearly as tight a grip on his issues as he thought, Wally figured that his interaction with Ruka was much better left to digital spaces. He likes her! He's just also absolutely, utterly terrified of her realizing things he already knows and has no interest in exploring.

There's also the fact that Wally, tries as hard as he might, can't manage to fully swallow down his bitterness at being here, at a wedding, with no plus-one of his own and there's literally no way on this gilded green Earth that he's going to rain on the bride's wedding day. Absolutely none. He'll approach a magician to cauterize his feelings before he'll do that.

Villains though...well, Ruka looks like she can more than handle herself with the way she hurls that knife back at her assaulter, but it's damn poor manners to let your best friend's new wife potentially get skewered when a nasty blade-themed super villain decides to retaliate with thirty times the blades from before.

There's no time to waste. Wally already saw Ruka throw a red thing over some of the servers that looked like some kind of protective field and she may not have another one. So Wally darts through the screaming, stampeding crowd, apologizes as hard as he can in his heart as he scoops her up, hand on the back of her neck to eliminate the danger of whiplash, and zips them around behind an overturned table in a fraction of a second.]

Sorry, [he says after the fact, letting Ruka go as quick as he can without just dumping her on the ground, hunkering behind the table as a couple knives thunk into it. He yanks off his tie because having things around your neck in a fight is honestly just a really bad move for a speedster.] Wasn't in time to save your eight thousand dollar dress.

[dragony]

[ Okay, maybe it was a bad idea to try revenge-throwing a knife at the guy with a gun that shoots knives. Especially when he had already shot knives at her. Double especially when all her primary defenses are currently occupied elsewhere. Maybe, possibly, a poor judgment when the guy's going by Barbarous Butcher. No part of that name really screams "sympathetic and merciful."

So, in short order: Ruka throws the knife. Knife guy gets hit with knife. Knife guy is real mad about retaliatory knife. Knife guy takes aim with many more knives. Shit. That is a lot of knives.

What happens next is a blur — literally. Normally it's the most familiar thing in the world to get scooped up and carried off like this, but she would know Jaime's heart anywhere, and this isn't it. The world spins, and settles, and. She's on the ground, overturned table behind her, splintering in places from the impact of yet even more knives. And the person who rescued her—

oh boy. ]

... Don't worry about it. [ Eight grand... he definitely doesn't want to know how much it actually cost. It's really not the most important thing right now. Her arm still burns with that red light (danger, yes, she knows, thanks), and she can feel the ricochet of damage against that shield's exterior, so it's not safe to call it back either. Ugh.

She spares a moment to glance at Wally, still— well, still not exactly happy to be around her. She starts shifting the fabric of her dress, trying to find where the other blades are caught in the bulky layers of gown. ]

So, what was that. Flash-stepping?

[ Smooth. ]

iii

[monster_san]

[Well, that all happened quite fast. Fuu had been ready to cast her own defensive spells, but apparently Ruka has that one covered. Still, there are three foes, and Ruka is obviously concentrating, and--shoot, Fuu wasn't fast enough.

She is, frankly, astounded that the man underwent a thought process that ended with 'I should attack the BRIDE of a WEDDING with FLYING KNIVES.']

Sir! This is a wedding reception! [There's another knife on the way, but Fuu gets her sword out and manages to knock it down.] Ruka-san, are you okay?

[dragony]

Yeah, yeah, I'm fine— [ As usual in a disaster, Ruka tends to sound more irritated than distressed — it's the level of resigned dismay another bride might have to someone knocking over decorative signage, or putting their elbow into the wedding cake.

And yes sure there's a little bleeding but it's fine; a superficial cut from a grazing blade is nothing to worry about. As usual, her attention is everywhere except for on herself.

She does at least move more properly behind the guard that Fuu and her sword provide, making her slightly less of an obvious target. ]

I'm trying to get the staff out of here, but there's something barring the exit. I can't risk leaving them defenseless when I can't see what they're up against. Can you cover for me?

ii

[tadeadshi]

[Tadashi was quiet for most of the ceremony; seeing his friends happy like this just... Sets something in his chest that's hard to describe. But he likes seeing it. He likes seeing his friends happy, and he's reminded of questions they've all been asking him for the last year: what makes him happy?

Ultimately, seeing his friends happy seems to be the answer. It's a contagious feeling, really. He's keeping out of larger groups but still smiling and making polite small talk when approached. But when he sees Ruka close by, he gives a little wave and raise of his glass.]

You've both really made it, huh. ['Made it' being 'made it to this big event of life that a lot of people aspire to and it wasn't destroyed by villains or the world ending because that's a big milestone isn't it?'. Sometimes assumed meanings work better.]

i.

[fridgeflower]

[ The apparent fact isn't difficult to believe. Ruka's been in-and-out of Porter-present worlds since she was a kid, right? It's not all that often that imPorts get married, and even less likely that there are sizable ceremonies when they do.

Not that Laurie's an expert or anything. The last wedding she'd attended had been as a small child.

Anyway, Ruka's got no need to be concerned. Laurie gives the idea a brush-off gesture. ]

Nah, that was great. Very beautiful and perfectly respectable.

I mean, Jaime could've dialed it back a bit, but... What're you gonna do? Dude's soft.

[khajidont]

[ After the ceremony, Jaime and Ruka got to spend some time in a back room together. It's the way these things go -- let the newly married couple spend some time, catch their breath before the rest of the evening. Jaime's finally mostly dried his eyes and it's time to go to the next location. They've rented a really nice limo for the occasion, with all the bells and whistles. There's probably even champagne. ]

So. Scale of one-to-ten, how important is the limo to you?

Fuu Hououji | OTA

[monster_san]

Ceremony/Reception

[Fuu has never been to an American wedding before. Though she wouldn't take this one for the typical example, given who's involved. And she's sure it's not typical for the bridegroom himself to burst into tears, but it is entirely in-character for this bridegroom.

Truth be told, she can't claim to be entirely dry-eyed herself.

It's a lovely ceremony, and at the reception she's enjoying herself thoroughly, looking for Jaime or Ruka to talk to but happy to talk to anyone.]

What a lovely wedding! I'm so pleased that it all went smoothly.


Party crasher

[Well, guess who spoke too soon.

A superhero wedding has some superheroes, some people who now have superpowers, and some people who are a kind of hybrid between a magical girl and a mecha pilot.

The Barbarous Butcher is nearest to Fuu, laughing his head off as he sends his knives zipping around. Fuu steps forward and with a gesture of her hand, casts Binding Wind.]

Sir! This is entirely unacceptable behavior at a wedding!

[microbrobotics]

WEDDING

[ This ... this is a strange day. A wonderful day, but still a little odd. He's missed most of the past three years, after all, and had a year of his own - but these are still his friends. Some of his best friends? He just also, you know, associates them with things like disassembling a car while on a road trip.

So he'll definitely be super dry-eyed through the ceremony (wiping his face doesn't count), and then milling through the celebration afterwards with a weird look on his face.

Also, trying to steal a flute of champagne. Not that he's going to drink it! Just to see if his brother can catch him first. ]

SUPERVILLAINS

[ And then, of course, the supervillains. Why is it always supervillains. ]

Dude, you have come to the wrong party.

[ One of the drone lady's drones instantly falls to pieces. He can't just dissolve the others, but. This one? Is his. ]

you know which one

[tadeadshi]

[Weird how there's this big shadow looming at Hiro's side suddenly. All grin and casual.]

Ssssso, whatcha doin, little bro?