10th Contraption: Mawwiage

[pineapplesalmon]

Who: John Watson, Johnny Summer, and César Salazar with Rich Goranski, Fio, and Honoria Crabb AND YOU Oh god why are weddings like this
What: The throuple getting married by... the Captain?!
When: December 11th at 7pm
Where: John's
Warnings: I believe in us! But for now, nothing.


SEATING

John's has been transformed, the seating up front rearranged in rows towards the center dias with an aisle down the middle, the piano moved off to one side. The buffet for later can be seen off to the other. Decorations taken from Spirit Halloween appear here and there–flowers taken from cavalera flower crowns, sun and moon candlestick holders from the tarot collection, festively colored tablecloths draped down the walls like curtains or banners. A sign near the entrance says "seat yourself", although the front row on one side is reserved with a ribbon across the backs.

What can't be seen is who is officiating. Or the husbands, but at least that part makes sense. The dais is empty.


THE CEREMONY

As one of the few traditions in this wedding, music announces the start of the ceremony. Rich strolls in first, trying to look professional even if he’s clearly shaking a bit as he holds the small pillow with the rings laid on it. At least he’s dressed quite smartly, Johnny ensuring his red suit is wrinkle free and his cuff links are set in place. Fio, in a winged black dress and flowery headdress, follows after the ring bearer, adorning the path with paper petals as she moves along.

The first husband to be down the aisle is none other than Johnny, in a smart charcoal grey suit with a goldenrod pocketsquare, gold jewelry, and a wreath of orange blossoms on his head; and accompanied by Honoria Crabb in her perfectly tailored black tuxedo, worn with black gloves and a white bow tie. Watson and César take up the rear, arms linked together. César is wearing an equally fancy suitcoat with his tie held in place with a ruby and silver tie pin, and Watson is wearing an officer’s dress uniform, with the sword and without the helmet, and also his good cane. All three husbands-to-be are wearing green carnation boutonnières.


AFTER PARTY

It's time to eat, dance, and party!

The seating has been rearranged for sitting at tables around the "dance" floor. Food from Windjammer has been placed on some tables for a buffet. There’s a selection of fancy cheeses and crackers, sushi, premade sandwiches, and salad with dressings on the side. For dessert, to one side there’s a table with cupcakes, cookies, and chocolates arranged in a heart. On the bar are a couple bowls of punch (including one explicitly labeled as non-alcoholic) made by Johnny ahead of time, because he's been forbidden to bartend his own wedding, much to his deep chagrin.

There’s a space set just off the dancefloor for musicians who wish to perform, the usual John’s piano (bribed into behaving with a whole pan of beef brisket from the buffet) off to one side.

Comments

Drink

[crushed_pearls]

"Oh shit, you bartend?" Erin's all interest. "I've gotten spoiled letting Johnny surprise me with sweet or sour cocktails, didn't even stop to think someone else might know their stuff. How's your mule game?"

[busball]

"Mmmm. Bartend, spend enough time at a bar that I just make my own drinks out of boredom sometimes??? Tomato tomato. You know." There's a shrug. "Could I make one? Maybe. Am I better at making things I actually drink? Also yes."

[crushed_pearls]

"Well, if you've got something sweet I'll take it." Erin leans against the bar. "Aaaand I find myself in the need of some completely normal advice. In very happy news I've recently become an older sister but I was, you see, an only child. Think you've got any tips on being a sibling?"

[busball]

Klaus laughs. He doesn't mean to. "Ooooooh boy. Do I have some terrible news for you." Okay, it's not like...that terrible. "We put the dys in dysfunctional. Like...my sister recently killed some guy that meant something to my one brother because he accidentally killed our moms while they were pregnant with us, so like...you know how that goes..." Or maybe not? "We're pretty shitty at siblings. I mean...maybe we weren't at the start, but then we got traumatized and older and that just...woops?" A beat. "But like...I mean sometimes, I guess we got it right? Like the wedding...and uh...." A long pause while they squint into the distance. "The wedding..."

[crushed_pearls]

"...M'dude."

(Well, so much for keeping the topic light.)

YEAH SO MUCH FOR THAT SHIT HUH.

Erin sighs, defeated. "...A wedding, huh?"

[busball]

Klaus looks confused for a moment before just going to make something sweet. He goes for an appletini for fun or because it's at least sweet and apple-y. He passes it over to her.

"Yeah. My brother got married. To Sloane. She can manipulate gravity. Space Boy and Gravity Girl. It's a cute relationship."

[crushed_pearls]

"Sounds like it," Erin agrees. She tries a sip of her life's first appletini; she makes a surprised face, takes a second sip, and lets out a happy noise from low in her throat. "Oh that's nice."

[busball]

"Yeah. I mean, super rushed. But what are you gonna do when you find love at the end of the world? Not get married? Naaaah." He grins widely, however, at the response to the drink. "I'm glad you like it. I still haven't figured out the blenders really? Or whatever. But simple stuff is pretty easy. I'm not Johnny, but I'm pretty okay."

[crushed_pearls]

"I mean, I'm not Jimi Hendrix but I'm still playing music." Erin takes another sip. Mmmm that's pleasant. "Art's worth it in itself, you know?"

[busball]

"Are we considering making cocktails art? Cause...?" Klaus doesn't see it that way. It's like...a simple sort of whatever. Art's like...not that. Probably. "But you're playing pretty well. Whatever that thing is...I don't know. But it's cool!"

[crushed_pearls]

"Who says all art has to be high art?" Erin points out philosophically. "Case in point the instrument is - are you ready for this name? - a hurdy-gurdy. Peasant instrument that went to sea and never came home."

[busball]

A shrug is all that’s met with. “I guess no one?” They still don’t know if there’s anyone that would call it an art, but… “Oh. Cool. That’s what you were talking about. The last time. We got distracted by uhhh…the serious vibes and the personal attack against me and the universe.” He laughs to make sure she knows this is Klaus making a joke and not Klaus being serious or upset.

[crushed_pearls]

"Yeah! I learned it as a joke but it turns out there's some things you can't only learn ironically. It's been great getting back into it." Erin tips Klaus a playful look. "I've been trying to pick up other instruments from first principles but it turns out that's hard as balls. If you wanna suck at it with me sometime, theater's usually empty."

[busball]

"Oh yeah? And that's oddly named instruments?" They arch an eyebrow. "I'm not sure if first principles is like...a type of instrument or like if this is a band name...or what." Cause it is unclear. "I'm not afraid of embarrassment. So it's possible. I wore little shorts for most of my childhood while fighting crime. Nothing can embarrass me now." A beat. "Also I admitted to an entire group of people a lot of stuff and lived to tell the tale" Even if it did start a fight.

[crushed_pearls]

Erin's laugh is surprised but very much not mocking. "No, no, from first principles means like...without instruction, with only the tool or the situation in front of you. So kinda like how you learned to mix drinks if I'm grasping what you said correctly, or in this case by grabbing the instruments in the theater and trying to figure out how they work since there's no guidebooks around here."

[busball]

"Ooohhh. Okay. That makes sense." Way more sense than some sort of mystical instruments that were lost to time and space, but he'd have still believed it even if it didn't make sense. When nothing in your life strictly makes sense, can you actually question other things that don't strictly make sense?

"I have vague knowledge of the guitar, but anything else? I don't know it. Feel like I could have been some hot band guy in a future somewhere." A shrug. "But not like marching band, though. I think I'm not meant for that."

[crushed_pearls]

"Not gonna lie, I could see you on drums. Drummers tend to be some of the most chill motherfuckers, in part because they make art by beating the hell out of their instruments." A thoughtful pause. "And they get to sit down."

[busball]

“Honestly still surprised I’m seen as chill at all here. I mean, I guess comparatively, I have more chill than my boyfriend, but…” They have tricked the general public into thinking they are chill. Tell that to any Hargreeves you meet. Klaus Hargreeves is chill. That at least will shock them enough to make it funny. “The sitting down part does sound nice.”

[crushed_pearls]

"I've admittedly met you three times so far, so maybe you've just been having especially chill days." Note to self, lay off the alcoholic punch after this appletini; it's good shit but Erin does have plans later tonight. "...Or maybe I'm just used to folks who are way less chill. Or both."

[busball]

"Thankfully, there's not been a lot to not be chill about. Outside of the bad ship vibes, but...whatever." Also he tends to be drunk all the time. Sobriety, if he chooses to go that way, would involve a lot less chill and a lot more irritation. "Both can probably be true. I don't know the people you knew there."

[crushed_pearls]

"We're unchill enough to need specific rules enforcing chill by violence, so. I'll say both? Both is good."

But it's a bit hard to believe emotionally.

"...Hey. Any good ship vibes? Something you really like about being here?"

[busball]

"Huh. Cool. Diego would be in trouble all the time." He laughs at the idea of it, but it's also true. Five would probably at least listen until he didn't. Everyone else would be fine. Luther is too much of a rule follower to be different. Unless a sibling was hurt or in danger and then he'd pull out the big guns. The big guns being his arms. Allison has been obviously unchill for a minute, though, but might listen to rules. Maybe. And Viktor is...well...Viktor.

They may be less unchill by nature of like not being violent about it mostly. Except that time with the bar fight...and all those veterans. But whatever. It's fine.

"Hmmmmmmmm." What does he like? "You can sit in the hottub naked sometimes, which is nice. Sometimes you just don't feel like bathing suits and you're with your bros and it's cool. Annnd then like there's been a lot of interesting gender discussions and I guess vibing. I have a teenager that thinks I'm cool. Cool enough to do his make up, so that's like...a big deal, I guess? Last teenager I knew accidentally shot a harpoon through my chest, but it was a pretty okay experience up till then."

They consider something for a moment. "Also like that I don't like...need to worry about money, so it means I don't have to do a lot of my usual hoodrat shit. Or the questionable 'trades' for drugs. You know how...wait. You probably don't. Nevermind that then."

[crushed_pearls]

"Nah, pretty sure I know," Erin says serenely. "Ain't gonna act like I've never sucked dick for money...or in one case concert tickets. Is what it is."

Erin hrmms thoughtfully. "I'm with you on the gender stuff. I thought I had my shit lock, stock, and barrel but it turns out I'm still finding out new things. Some of my friends too."

[busball]

Klaus looks over and nods. “Cool. Gonna add that to shit we have in common.” Feels like something they shouldn’t have to have in common, but that’s part of the adventure. “Drug addictions, am I right? For me anyway.”

They smile a little. “Yeah. Never seems to be a fully settled thing. Or well…I guess it does, but I think the societal awkwardness of trying to shove yourself into a box make it harder to know if you’ve got yourself figured out entirely or if there’s still some more growing to do.” A beat. “Case and point being my eternal debate with ‘does this outfit choice work or just scream human trying too hard’. I had dresses to wear, but I guess I overthought it.” They shake their head. “After I’m the one telling people to wear what they want and fuck everyone that says anything. I’m a terrible role model.”

[crushed_pearls]

"But it sounds like you give good advice," Erin counters. "I know it's hard to get outta the habit of being your own enemy but you really helped folks tonight. You're not getting graded on it."