vdistinctive | At the docks, then out to sea, Sunday

The colors from the previous days were still holding, if maybe slightly more muted, Fandom's magic slowly fading but still managing to hang on for another day.

Seemed like a good omen as any for a wedding that Eliot still couldn't quite believe was happening.

Eliot's boat wasn't big enough for all their guests so they had "rented" (long story) a well-appointed yacht for the day. It was docked in the Port of Fandom, waiting for all the guests to board. Once the last person had crossed the gangplank, it sailed almost to the edge of the island, where blue water lapped with gray. Eliot's boat was already there, anchor down, Hardison in a tux, playing around with a sound system.

A few minutes to futz with mics and the speakers set up discreetly around the yacht came to life. "Testin'...Testin'..." Hardison murmured. Good. Everybody would be able to hear the ceremony on the second ship.

Looks like it was time to begin.

[TIME FOR A WEDDING! If you think you were invited, you were. Some OCD coming]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Speaking of weird friends, Kathy was beelining over to them just as soon as she finished lacing up her corset, going to throw her hands around Raven and pull her in for a tight hug. "Missed you, bestie," she said.

Raven clung back, beaming. "You too. You look amazing!" She pulled back and tugged Misfit closer. "Misfit, this is Kathy. She's . . . my other Person."

Misfit offered Kathy an awkward smile and a hand. "Nice to meet you. I've heard . . . stories."

Weird, creepy stories with far too much detail. It was a good thing that Misfit enjoyed horror.

"Oh god," Kathy groaned. "Do I even want to know?" She gave Raven a pout, "I wanted them to like me," she said in a stage-whisper.

And then chuckled, and took Misfit's hand. Awkward smiles, she understood, as well as feeling like the odd person out at an event. "Thanks for coming," she said. "I'm really glad to finally get to meet you."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Those were funny." If you had a certain macabre sense of humor.

"Yes, dear," Misfit said. "Anyway, I'd say I wouldn't have missed it, but Raven made me come." They looked around. "Not that I blame her. This is the nicest poly wedding I've seen."

"This is the first poly wedding you've ever seen."

"In person," Misfit agreed. "The place I grew up was a little. . . ." They trailed off with a grimace and a shrug. Raven gave their arm an extra little squeeze.

"Same," Kathy said. "My parents would be rolling over in their...well, they'd be horrified to know that their daughter was with two white boys of all things. I don't know if I'd been able to believe that my relationships would work out if I hadn't had Dad - Eliot-Dad - and them to be right there as proof that it could."

Misfit nodded. "Representation matters."

"And they're just good people," Raven said. "I can pretty much guarantee neither Kathy nor I would still be here without them."

"That's true," Kathy said. "I'd still be, ah. Lost in LA," she said carefully, uncertain of how much Raven had told Misfit. She didn't wanna look like a crazy person, nattering on about zombies at her dad's wedding. "But even when they were 'just' our teachers, they cared." She grinned suddenly. "Eliot once punched my bio-dad once. It was great."

"Raven Raven Raven!" Parker chanted, wandering over still in her black work-gear-- but now accessorized with an enormous number of sparklies that she and Sophie had put together. "Thank you for coming, have some chocolates, who's this?"

There were chocolate covered coffee beans. Parker had been indulging.

Misfit blinked and leaned back a little. Raven patted their arm. "Parker, this is Misfit. Misfit, Parker."

"Nice to meet you," Misfit said, still looking a bit overwhelmed by Parker's Parkerness. "Congratulations. You all look really happy together."

"Wait, I remember, you were part of Raven's road trip," Parker said, happy to have placed the name. "Thank you for helping her keep going! And for coming. And thank you for saying we look happy, 'cause we are, and it's so weird. You know?"

“So weird,” Misfit agreed. “From what I hear that’s kind of this place’s M.O., though.”

"Well, true. Although that's part of why we're leaving." Parker's mood couldn't be ruined, thinking about that, but she could be a little more serious. "I mean, it's been great, overall? And we would never have met Raven or Kathy or lots of these people without coming here. But... there's a limit, and I guess we hit ours, this last month."

At the docks, then out to sea, Sunday

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