[One year after the Brevon Incident; three days before the wedding]
Hidden within the pink trees of Rage Ravine is a modest two-storey stone and wood house partially built into the cliff. On the balcony in the afternoon sun stands a middle‑aged silver hare with a smouldering orange vixen by his side, and a young olive lynx and ochre badger, all of whom are waiting expectantly for the couple in the bedroom to emerge.
"What's taking them so long?" the lynx asks impatiently.
"Patience Maria," the vixen advises softly. "You know Hanna doesn't normally wear dresses or high heels."
"But Mrs Skarlett, heels are easy!" Maria smiles cheekily. "If I can run in them, the meanie can walk in them."
"You know you can call me Kathy, right?" Kathy Skarlett replies.
"I know," Maria nods. "It just doesn't sound right because you're old," she adds with a cheeky smile.
"I'm not old, I'm well‑aged!" Kathy retorts, feigning offense.
Maria shrugs and turns her attention to the ankle‑length plain red cheongsam she's wearing. "I'm still not sure about the colour," she murmurs.
"I think it looks cute," Kathy opines. "Especially with the matching red high‑heels."
"I think I look like a really big strawberry," Maria replies.
"She's got a point there," the hare agrees.
"Mike, for the love of… OK, I concede you both have a point," Kathy sighs. "But red is the traditional colour."
"For the bride," Mike reminds.
"No reason the bridesmaid can't also wear red," Kathy opines.
"At least red and green work together; blue and yellow, not so much" the badger interjects, referring to his plain blue changshan. "But then it's not about us, it's about Hanna and Rob."
"Thank you Danny," Kathy smiles. "Good to know someone gets it."
"However, I will say, if I get married, I won't be going traditional," Danny adds. "I could be persuaded to try purple though."
"Same as your girlfriend's spines?" Maria teases.
"You know I haven't seen Sally since we got back from the Gotoshi," Danny reminds. "Well, except for the day we got back, of course. But since then, we haven't seen each other. Well, apart from that one coincidental meeting. But we were both busy, so it was little more than a quick mutual 'hi', and therefore doesn't really count. Anyway, she's not my girlfriend, and never will be."
"How come?" Kathy asks.
"She works for the Shang Tu military, and has the confidence of the Royal Magister," Danny explains.
"And her getting involved with a Red Scarf would pretty much kill her career dead?" Kathy guesses.
"That's what we concluded, yes," Danny confirms. "Not that that's relevant, since there's nothing there to begin with."
"Don't be so silly!" Maria giggles. "You both clearly like each other loads."
"True or not, it's not going to happen," Danny states with kind finality.
Before Maria can protest further, the balcony door slides open, revealing a young silver hare in an ornately‑detailed blue changshan, with twin cyan‑edged orange sashes crossing his torso. "Hanna will be out in a couple of minutes," Rob informs as he steps out onto the balcony. "What do you think?" he asks, turning around to show the entire outfit.
"Takes me back to our wedding day," Kathy reminisces. "I'd never seen Mike look so handsome."
"Still not as pretty as you though," Mike smiles warmly. "When you entered the room, everyone was stunned into silence."
"I'd never felt more beautiful," Kathy remembers. "Not sure I could pull the same trick now though, not least because the dress won't fit anymore. And I'm going grey."
"Don't forget, I'm going grey too," Mike assures.
"True, but you started mostly grey," Kathy teases.
Maria can't help but giggle. "You're like an old version of Meanie and Fluff‑tail!"
"I'll assume that's a compliment," Rob chuckles. "Though I'd prefer not to be separated from Hanna for eighteen years," he adds in a more serious tone.
"Believe me, it's not an experience you want," Mike agrees. "Not even the myriad wonders of the galaxy are enough to counter the pain of being separated from the woman you love."
"OK, you guys can stop being nauseatingly cute now," Hanna calls from the bedroom.
"We'll stop being cute if you come out here," Kathy calls back.
"If you insist." A moment later, the balcony door opens again, revealing Hanna in a stunningly beautiful ornately‑detailed form-fitting ankle‑length red cheongsam with matching elegant red high‑heeled shoes; crossing her torso are twin gold‑edged silver sashes. "So, yeah, I'm wearing a dress," she comments flatly.
For a moment, no‑one speaks: they just stare at Hanna.
"Is something wrong?" Hanna asks, confused.
"No, not at all," Kathy assures. "It's just… have you seen how beautiful you look?"
"I know how good I look in a halterneck and capris," Hanna replies. "I can't imagine a dress is any better."
"Hold that thought." Rob disappears into the bedroom, re‑emerging a moment later with a full‑length dress mirror. "I think you should take a proper look," he suggests.
"Really, I don't-" Hanna starts as she turns to face the mirror, stopping abruptly when she sees her reflection. "Wow," she breathes in surprised amazement. "This is just… wow."
"I take it you like the look," Rob guesses.
Hanna takes a few moments to check herself out from as many angles as possible. "I thought I looked good before, but this… this is something else. There's no other word to describe it: I look perfect."
Half an hour later, everyone is back in their normal clothes and relaxing in the den. Hanna and Rob are sharing the chair, Mike and Kathy are on the sofa, and Maria and Danny are using foldaway chairs.
"I never thought halterneck and capris would look so plain," Hanna sighs. "Can I not just keep the dress?"
"You'll be able to keep it after the wedding," Mike promises. "Until then, it stays safe with us."
"I could always steal it," Hanna replies jokingly.
"Would you really steal from your own parents?" Rob asks cheekily.
"No, of course not," Hanna answers. "It's just… I really love that dress."
"Guys, I think we broke Hanna," Rob quips.
"Or maybe I've finally found a dress I actually like," Hanna retorts playfully.
"And why wouldn't you?" Kathy interjects. "It's gorgeous. However, there are other things we need to discuss."
"What's left to sort out?" Rob asks. "We have the location for the ceremony: the lake in Jade Creek. And we have the location for the reception: Maria, Danny, and Xander's place. We have the outfits, Danny's the best man, Maria's the bridesmaid, we're not short of witnesses, and the guest list is confirmed. What's left?"
"Cake!" Maria exclaims suddenly.
"My parents have already volunteered to handle the cake, and the catering in general," Hanna reminds.
"Oh," Maria replies.
"I know what we're missing," Danny interjects. "We have the location, the outfits, the catering, the guests, and everyone participating in the ceremony, except one: who's officiating?"
Hanna curses. "How could we forget that?"
"I'll let you off this time," Kathy scolds kindly.
"Sorry," Hanna apologises. "But seriously, we need to find someone to officiate."
"No-one from the Shang Tu temples," Rob states emphatically. "Can't be doing with all that hyper‑spiritual nonsense."
"Right with ya there babe," Hanna agrees. "Not that they'd do it anyway, given their dislike for bearers of scarlet neckwear," she understates.
"And I doubt anyone from Shang Mu or Shuigang would do it either, for the same reason," Danny opines.
Maria's ears prick at the sound of an arriving trike. "Wolfie's here," she announces.
A moment later, there's a knock at the front door. "Come in Xander," Hanna calls.
The door opens to reveal a slightly confused steel-blue wolf. "How did you know it was me?" Xander asks as he enters the den.
"I heard your trike," Maria explains. "It's still misfiring slightly, by the way. Oh, and those two want to ask you something," she adds, pointing to Hanna and Rob.
"Do we?" Rob asks Maria.
"Who better to ask?" Maria replies.
Rob turns to his fiancée. "Hanna?"
"Maria's right," Hanna agrees.
Rob turns to Xander. "How do you feel about officiating our wedding?"
"Me?" Xander asks, a little surprised. "You sure?"
"Absolutely," Hanna assures. "Given all we've been through as a group, there's no‑one else we'd rather have. Honestly, we should have thought of it earlier."
"In that case, I'd be honoured," Xander accepts. "Don't I need a license or something though?"
"We'll sort it out tomorrow," Danny assures.
"With that sorted, we've covered… well, everything," Hanna summarises. "All that's left is the day itself."
"And the bachelor party," Danny adds.
"And the bachelorette party," Maria also adds.
"Of course," Hanna replies.
"Nothing too crazy, OK?" Rob requests.
"That's for us to decide," Maria and Danny chorus mischievously.