Lilli is halfway across the yard and she hears, "Gladys, you old witch, get a move on!", Horace saying impatiently, Gladys comes back with, "Hold your tongue you old goat, and go answer the door!"
When Lilli reaches the porch of the tiny home-office-shack, Horace is waiting to greet her, "Evenin' Miss Lilli, you caught us just in time, the missus is making me take her someplace fancy to celebrate the fact we ain't dead yet!". Horace leaned in, and added conspiratorially "Fancy food will probably be the death of us both though!", he adds with a chuckle
"You're in luck", explains Gladys when Lilli tells of the reason for her early night visit. "There is only six fairies, that I know of living in Elba and the surrounds, and I knows just about everybody.". "Horace And I bin here all our lives. Here's Lorekeeper Daisy's address."
Venice and Lilly had hammered out the details rather quickly the other night over dinner. Venice had no other family than those that lived under the same roof as her, and Lilli wouldn't gave invited the family that so readily disowned her, even if she was on her deathbed. Lilli and Venice would get married with Marcus as the best man, and Gypsy as the maid of honor.
They decided to get married in the small park immediately across the road, cheap and easy to access, plus due to its location it was rarely frequented. Marcus and Lilly were going to taxi into town with Venice early in the morning to go shopping before Venice starts work.
Lilli had wanted to leave all of the fairy traditions behind and be married in a normal mortal fashion, until Venice pointed out that just because Lil's family had turned their backs on her, didn't mean Lil should turn her back on her heritage and its traditions. Venice had proposed using an ancient fairy king's betrothal request and she wanted to use ancient fairy style vows. And Lil had found a Lorekeeper who knew them, and could ensure, outcast or not, that Lilli's marriage would be entered onto a set of tomes known as the Tree Of Lives, essentially a genealogy of all fairies who ever lived.
When Lilli got home, Venice was at the kitchen table, sketching ideas for the small batch of renovations and the extension, that was their wedding gift and honeymoon. Besides, Venice only had Wednesday and Sundays off from her job, and even if she took time off work, they would rather spend the money on their house than travel to Shang Simla, Champs Les Sims, Al Simhara or Simstralia.
The week seemed to drag on endlessly for the couple, until eventually Sunday finally arrived.
Venice was very happy with her final choice, originally had wanted to get a dress similar to the one Venice had chosen for herself. Venice had insisted Lilli chose a dress that would suit her own personality and style. "Please don't get that dress because, it is what you think I want you to wear, because it isn't. Eventually Lilli chose a quite short and mostly lace and flowery outfit, and of course it was green, which was as Lil as you could get.
Lily was practically buzzing, and she lifted from the ground and spun around in the air three times, before smoothly gracefully touching down and finishing with a perfect pirouette. "So, how do I look?" Lilly asked breathlessly. Venice, starting at Lil's feet, ran her eyes over Lil's fragile appearing frame, eventually making eye contact. "Almost perfect. my love." Venice eventually answered.
"Almost perfect, almost?" Lilli said, slapping the back of her hand to her forehead, and leaning heavily against the dresser, as if she were about to faint, Lilly would have been awarded a Simmy for her performance, if it wasn't for the huge grin that she was making no effort to hide.
"Heels Lil, we went to three shoe shops, to find something the right color, the right style and that you were comfortable in." Lil heaved a tremendous sigh, "Shoes, I don't much like shoes!", Venice waited a moment before adding "And Lil... underwear...". "Hmm, dont much like them at all either.", Lil giggled.
Venice dressed Marcus in his little suit before awakening him. By the time they were ready to leave, Marcus was attempting to wriggle out of his striped suit jacket for the dozenth time. Venice finally gave up and left it in the kitchen table. Thankfully Marcus was unaware that he was also wearing a tie to match, or that probably would have been abandoned too.
Venice carried Marcus across the road to the park, with Lilli and Gypsy flanking her. They make their way across the park, passed the small barbecue and fishing pond. In the back corner of the park is a very small clearing ringed by a copse of trees. Lilly spots the red roses that Horace had delivered to the park and moves ahead to meet the Lorekeeper.
"Greetings and salutations Princess Lilliana ....", Lorekeeper Daisy begins slowly attempting to lower herself to one knee as is proper. Lilliana knows protocol well enough that this poor elder fairy will be on one knee for several minutes to complete the full correct ritual greeting. She rushes forward and cups the elderly fairies elbows with her hands, slowly lifting her.
"Please Earthmother!", Lilli says, "Lilliana Rosebloom, formerly of the royal line, let the record of the trees waste time and ink with titles of no consequence", "let the heralds of the keepers of the tomes waste their breath singing of things that are no longer relevant to me, please do not see me as royal blood, for they do not see me!"
Lorekeeper Daisy simply nodded, in both thanks and understanding. "My condolences on the loss of your kin, and my congratulations on the founding of a family!" Daisy said.
Marcus did not want to stand, so Venice tucked him back into the curve of her arm, were he spent the whole ceremony alternating shyly peeking at the fairy with the gold wings, and giggling quietly into his mothers shoulder.
Daisy began the proceedings, which was a mix of Human and Fae.
"Do you, Lilliana Camilla Jasmine Primrose Poppy Rosebloom, freely chose to take Venice Jettstar to your heart, without reservation, committing your soul to be bound in light with hers, for as long as you draw breath?", Daisy asked.
"Gladly, and without hesitation, I chose this!" Lilly chirps.
"Do you, Venice Jettstar, freely chose to take Lilliana Camilla Jasmine Primrose Poppy Rosebloom to your heart, without reservation, committing your soul to be bound in light with hers, for as long as you draw breath?", Daisy asked Venice in turn.
"My mind is clear and my commitment is firm, this is my choice!" Venice vowed.
"The Ring?" Daisy asks. Lilly takes the delicately woven grass and fiber ring from the box, and places it in her hand, holding it out. As the Lorekeeper steps forward, she plucks a stray hair from both brides heads, and curls them into the cardboard box, then takes the ring, holding it up before them.
The Lorekeeper enquirers of Venice, "Venice. You wove into this ring your passion, your commitment, your strength, your love?."
"With every breath.", answers Venice.
Lorekeeper Daisy turns to Lilli," Lilliana. Did you hold this ring to your heart, and allow it to absorb your passion, your commitment, your strength, your love?."
"With every breath.", smiles Lilli.
"Hear me sun. Hear me sky. Hear me earth. Hear me waters of lake and ocean." Daisy called out "I am a Lorekeeper of the ancient ways, I have within me the right and the power to bind these two souls together as one!." The elder fairy drops the woven ring into the box, and casts her fairy magic over it. Lilly and Venice watch in awe as the hairs weave braid themselves into the woven band.
Daisy returns her focus to the brides. "I have used my will and power to bind your souls together as one, it is to you to use your will and power to keep them bound!".
"The ring will be taken to the homeland, and laid before the Sacred Tome, while the details are recorded for eternity.", Daisy tells Lilliana.
"Well... That's it. The bride may kiss the.. er..bride!
If Marcus and Gypsy had a telepathic link, I think the conversation would have gone like this..
"Yeah dawg, what about it?"
"Payback's a bitch buddy!"
"Ewwww... Yeah, you got me!
Lilli and Venice finally started renovations, as their a wedding gift to themselves.
They hired 'Bob The Builder', who guaranteed to handle all permits, all supplies, and also same day service. Venice decided the first priority, had to be a bedroom, as she knew Lilli detested sleeping underground. They saved some money by using some restored windows from the junkyard.
Venice wasn't happy about paying for new poolside windows, which Lillie asked Bob to add at the last minute. After the bathroom expansion, the next renovation was likely to include removing the entire wall, and extending the pool.
Lilli and Gypsy went on several hunting expeditions. The resulting lucky finds saw Lilli back at the junkyard, the local car dealerships had some very nice cars, but nothing within budget. Both Venice and Lilliana had a thing for old cars, but this one would cost to much money to fix.
Lilly found an old scooter, there was only slight surface rust, so it obviously hadn't been sitting out in the open long. She took a closer look. It had all the levers and pegs, and it looked straight, a good sign that it hadn't been crashed. The paint was faded and cracked, the front tire had a large slash in it.
Horace And Gladys had taken a liking to Lilli, and let her have the scooter at half the price the would have charged anyone else. Before long Lilli's skill in handiness, had the scooter looking as good as new. It wasn't very useful as a family vehicle, but at least if Lil or Venice needed to go somewhere on their own, they did not have to pay for a taxi.
Chapter notes
4GB of CC in package form. 1GB of this is hair (150+) somehow, a stray hair (see what I did there!) found its way passed my usual test-everything-twice protocols, and into my latest merge. Luckily for me, when I merge, I copy all the things for each merge to a new directory, make a new merge, and copy that merge to the game. (my merges are always called something like HairMERGED, or BrowsMERGED or YetanotherbunchofrandomclothesMERGED.
The benefit of this is when I download something new... (And I'm a CC junkie!), it makes updating my merged files so easy!
