110
Everyone watched in confusion as Rook set up a giant slab of plywood against one wall, and Dani tried not to feel self-conscious that there weren't enough places to sit. They had the couch, which could seat three, and the two bar stools, so at the moment there were just enough seats for people. If anyone else showed up, however, they'd have to sit on the ground.
"How many more people might be coming?" Dani murmured to Amber, who was perched on the bar stool next to her.
"I invited Ashley, but she said she's not feeling well today and told me to apologize to you," Amber offered. Dani didn't really care—though she had been to a few dinners at Ashley's house, she didn't know her that well. "I also called Jennifer from school, but she was wishy washy about if she could make it or not," Amber continued.
"I think she and David just broke up," Dani pointed out, thinking about the violinist and cello player she had used to hang out with at Marty Openheimer's.
Amber blinked. "Really? Shoot, no wonder she sounded offended on the phone."
"Yeah…being invited to a party about getting married is probably not what she wants to be doing right now," Dani agreed. "Did you invite anyone else?"
"Well, I left a message on June's phone, but I don't know if she got it."
Dani immediately felt a sinking feeling. "You invited June?"
"Um…" Amber squirmed, no doubt picking up on her friend's emotions. "Should I not have? She's your sister, and I thought that these parties were for all your female friends and family."
Dani sighed. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with inviting her. I just don't think she'll come. She and I had a bit of a fight a few weeks back."
"Oooo, about what?" Mia asked, turning to face them from her spot on the couch. Dani frowned, and May elbowed her sister.
"None of our business, Mia."
"Okay, I think we're ready," Rook pointed out cheerfully, and everyone turned to look at the piece of wood. Dani frowned at the picture that had been painted onto it. "Is that…a person?" she guessed.
"It's supposed to be. I traced Theo on it but the outline came out a little rough," Rook admitted as she moved to the other side of the apartment. Dani studied the plywood, suddenly wondering if this was going to be some kind of embarrassing pre-marriage game. She jumped as the plywood shuddered with a sudden thud, and she realized that there was now a dagger buried into the outline's neck.
"Wait…what are we doing?" May asked as everyone stared in shock at the wood before turning to look at Rook.
The oni smirked. "What? Nothing like blowing off steam through knife throwing."
"You want us to throw knives at your boyfriend? That's sick," Mia accused.
Rook frowned in confusion and then scoffed. "The outline isn't actually Theo. I just traced him because I can't draw worth anything."
"Then who's it supposed to be?" May asked skeptically.
"It's not supposed to be anyone. It's just for practice." Rook threw three more knives, and Dani watched in amazement as they buried themselves into various points of the outline. "Come on…anyone else want a turn?"
"This is not the kind of activity you're supposed to do at a bachelorette party," May sighed. "In fact, I don't even know if this is legal. Isn't chucking knives around dangerous?"
"Tell the truth, Amber; you didn't have anything planned, and this is the best you could come up with on short notice," Mia accused.
"Please. If this was last minute, why would I have come prepared with so many knives?" Rook asked easily, fanning out a deadly array in one hand.
"I don't really want to think too hard about that question," May muttered dryly.
"I'll give it a go," Dani cut in, feeling uncomfortable and unsure if the gathering was about to escalate into something dangerous. Rook grinned, motioning for Dani to come over and join her. The bride-to-be did so, taking a deep breath as she came and accepted the thin knife that Rook was holding out. It was heavier than she anticipated, and she chewed her lip as she turned to look at the plywood across the apartment. "Maybe this isn't a good idea," she realized, glancing at the exposed wall on either side of the wood. "I'm pretty sure our contract says we can't put any holes in the wall."
"We can go up a little closer, if you want," Rook said with a shrug. "It's not as hard as you think, I promise."
"I'm going to point out again that this is a dangerous idea," May called.
"Please. Where I grew up, this was a common exercise for children. I think we're all adult enough to handle it," Rook scoffed. She sheathed most of the knives deftly, keeping one that she held up to demonstrate. "Okay…so hold it by the handle, feel the balance, aim….and release." In one fluid motion, the knife went spinning through the air and buried itself into the thigh of the cutout.
"There's not much of a handle to hold," Dani pointed out, frowning down at the knife she had been given. The blade was slightly wider than the thin handle that came down from it, and Rook smirked.
"If the blade is heavier than the handle, you can throw by holding the handle. Otherwise you have to throw it by holding the blade and that's not as safe for beginners."
Dani hesitated a little longer, and Mia called out. "You don't have to do this, Dani. It's obvious—"
"No, I have always wanted to try this," Dani admitted, trying to get a feel for the weight of the blade like Rook had said. Honestly, she probably would have been more excited about the prospect of learning something so genuinely Oni if she hadn't been so nervous about how this party full of differing personalities would turn out. "So…what's the motion again?" Dani asked, turning back to Rook.
"Just keep your arm relaxed, and hold it up and behind," Rook offered. "Try to keep the motion smooth." She demonstrated once more, and then Dani took a deep breath before straightening and facing the target. Lifting the knife next to her head, she prayed she wouldn't hit any exposed wall and then let the knife go.
A pinging sound echoed in the small apartment as the knife hit the plywood from the wrong angle and bounced off harmlessly. Dani let out her breath in disappointment. She wasn't sure why she thought she would be able to pull it off on her first try, but now she felt a little foolish.
"That was good," Rook offered.
"It didn't even hit right," Dani pointed out.
"You hit the target—aim is the first thing you want to get down, anyway. Training yourself to get the blade to hit right every time takes a lot more practice."
Dani felt a little better, and Rook held out several more knives. With the others watching from their spots in the living room area, Dani unleashed the next few blades. Two more bounced off, but she blinked in surprise as her fourth hit the wood and stuck.
"Nice shot," Rook admired, studying the knife now buried in the outline's abdomen. "If that wooden man was real, he'd be dead right now."
Dani blinked, not sure how she felt about that comment, but then she heard an exaggerated sigh from the couch. She glanced over, expecting the twins to say something else about the macabre nature of the game. Instead, Mia pushed herself up with a huff.
"All right, I'll try it," she conceded. "But at least let me turn on some music. Just listening to the thud of things hitting plywood all night is going to make us all go insane."
Soon, the apartment was filled with pop tunes from Mia's playlist as they all took turns throwing knives with varying levels of success. After a while, Dani lost track of time, her anxiety slipping away. She was surprised to find out that Amber wasn't very good at knife throwing, and everyone was shocked at how proficient May turned out to be.
"Are you sure you're not an assassin?" Rook asked as May nailed another hit, right in the outline's heart. The Walker twin flushed.
"It's not that hard," she offered, tossing her long hair over one shoulder as she flushed. "It's all about logistics, really."
"Logistic, Subjistics," Mia growled as another of her knives pinged off the outline's shoulder. "Have you been sneaking off to some weapon's club or something?"
"You're holding it too high up on the blade," her sister sniffed.
Mia scowled, but Dani noticed that she did move where she was holding the knife the next time around. The blade bit into plywood in the outline's crotch, and everyone flinched. "Oh, Mia…low blow!" her sister winced, and Mia flushed.
"I mean, that's one way to neutralize your opponent," Rook mused thoughtfully.
"Did you aim for that?" Dani laughed, taking another knife from Rook.
"No, I didn't aim for that," Mia grumbled.
Dani took aim herself, letting the knife fly. She beamed as it struck inside the outline, burying deep.
"That had some power behind it," Rook said approvingly.
"So…could you hit anywhere you want on that outline?" Mia asked the oni, and Rook shrugged.
"Probably."
"Okay, I have to see that to believe it," the Walker insisted. "Dani, do you have a marker?"
Dani went and searched a kitchen drawer, which already had accumulated all kinds of junk. She found a thick black marker and brought it back to the twin, and Mia began making small marks in various spots on the outline. After making about 8 dots, she gathered the knives that had already been thrown and brought them back to Rook.
"Time to see if you're as good as you say," Mia challenged. Rook just smirked and motioned for them to stand back. Up to this point, the once-assassin had only really thrown knives to demonstrate, and once everyone had gotten the motion down, she had taken a step back to watch and occasionally comment.
Rook moved to put more space between herself and the outline, and the room went quiet other than the music still playing off of Mia's phone. Rook slipped the knives into her belt, weighing one in her hand briefly before letting it fly. It struck dead on one of the black dots Mia had drawn, and Dani shook her head in shock.
Rook pulled the knives from her belt deftly, and they went flying so fast that Dani had a hard time even seeing them in the air. The thuds continued—a couple of the knives didn't quite hit the dots, but they hit close enough to them to still be incredibly impressive. Within a minute, Rook was on her last knife, and she let it fly.
A pinging clang rang out, shocking everyone more than if she had hit the last dot perfect. May cried out as the knife came flying back, having struck the wood at the wrong angle. Everyone jumped backward, but luckily the knife didn't come anywhere close to anyone. As it clattered across the wooden floor, everyone turned to Rook. She seemed the most surprised, staring at the plywood with a look of disbelief.
"I guess I'm a little rusty," she said at last. "I haven't practiced in a while."
"Still. 7/8 is like a 87% success rate. That's impressive," May pointed out. "But…maybe now would be a good time to shift gears."
Dani felt her previous anxiety creep back in as the Walker twins made their way over to the heavily laden bags they had brought. She had told them she wanted a natural look…so it didn't bode well for them to have brought so much stuff.
"Okay…in order for us to get the full wedding day effect, you need to try your dress on first," Mia pointed out as she pulled out a curling iron and a can of hairspray while her sister rifled through the makeup bag. Dani felt a lurch; she had tried the dress on once just to make sure it fit and it did, but the thought of other people seeing it made her sick to her stomach. She wasn't sure what she would do if Mia and May ripped it apart the second they saw it.
"I…um…"
"Are you wanting your dress to be a surprise?" May asked.
"We aren't going to take any pictures—Colby isn't going to see anything," Mia insisted.
"It's not that. I just..." Dani wasn't sure how to voice her concerns, and she already knew that the twins weren't going to stop pestering her until they at least saw it, whether or not she even put it on. They're all going to see it tomorrow, she reminded herself. Isn't it better to just let them get their opinions out of their system tonight, rather than waiting?
"You do have a dress, don't you?" May asked in sudden hushed horror. Dani finally huffed.
"Yes, I have a dress. It's a little unique, so don't be surprised if it's not what you were expecting." She moved into the bathroom before anyone could ask any more questions. Colby's shirt and tie were now hanging next to her dress, and she fingered the sleeve before sighing. She had botched the first shirt—somehow, it had all turned into a strange brown color. The second try was much better, and she hoped Colby wouldn't notice this wasn't the exact same shirt he had brought her before. But it was the same size and looked the same, so she was hoping that it would still fit.
After stalling for a minute, Dani finally took a deep breath and got undressed. The wedding dress slipped on, and she tried not to feel self-conscious as she got it on as best as she could. There was a hidden zipper, but she could never get it zipped up all the way on her own, and a small part of her was still scared that once it was all the way zipped she would discover that it didn't actually fit like she thought.
"Do you need any help?" Amber called through the door, and Dani wondered if the Xinta was capable of sensing feelings through walls. Was her anxiety that obvious? Or was she just taking too long?
"Uh…I just need someone to do up the zipper when I come out," she admitted. She moved to the door, hesitating a moment longer before throwing it open and strolling out into the living room. Everyone looked up, and she could see everyone's shocked expressions. All at once, Dani lost her nerve and stopped dead, her heart pounding.
"How did you afford it?" Mia finally blurted.
"What?"
"The dress…how did you afford it?" the twin demanded, getting off the couch for a closer look. Dani knew her face was blazing.
"The dress was a donation," she stammered. "It had a big stain…but once I dyed it, you couldn't see it anymore."
Mia looked up at her in surprise. "You made this?"
"I just dyed it," Dani explained.
"That looks just like the type of thing you can find in a luxury boutique," May pointed out, coming closer. "I mean, now that I'm looking at it up close, I can tell it's been hand-dyed. But I'm surprised that color combination didn't turn out muddy."
"It was a big fear of mine. I watched a lot of online videos to try to get it right," Dani admitted awkwardly.
"It's gorgeous!" Amber offered, coming over. "And perfect for you—I couldn't imagine a better dress for you to celebrate in."
Dani's anxiety began to fade, and she looked down shyly. "I haven't been able to zip it up—I'm scared it won't fit right once I do."
"I'll get it," May decided, locating the zipper and pulling it up easily. Then she took a step back, motioning for Dani to turn. "It fits pretty well. I mean, if you want, I could easily tack the fabric back here and here so there isn't a gap right under your armpit, and the sleeves could be pulled back a little more—"
"I don't think I'm comfortable making any changes right now," Dani blurted, the anxiety coming back.
"It looks fine," Amber insisted. "It's perfect as it is."
"So, this explains why you sent Julien so many colors for your wedding pallet," Mia mused, coming over to study the reds, oranges, and purples. "It's a good thing that you sent him the matching colors, though—Colby told us that your colors were "the whole rainbow" and that was not helpful at all."
"Julien showed you the colors?" Dani realized, feeling even more stressed.
"When he told us he was in charge of putting the ceremony together, we asked if he knew the pallet. It's a good thing we did—I was planning on coming in a dusty lavender, and this is far more of a violet/indigo."
"So…this is the dress you're wearing?" Rook asked, and Dani turned to see the Oni studying her. "I thought white was traditional?"
"Well…you don't have to wear white."
"This is better," the Oni agreed. "We don't have anything like this in the first realm."
"It's called tie-dye," Dani offered awkwardly.
"Okay, now that the dress is on, we can start on hair and makeup," May insisted, pulling Dani toward the couch.
"I think we have an orange eyeshadow that will match perfectly," Mia added.
"Um…I really just want neutral makeup, remember?" Dani said.
The twins paused. "Well…with a dress like that, you've got to make the makeup complement it," Mia insisted.
"The thing is, I love wild clothes, but I don't really like going crazy with makeup," Dani admitted.
"But it would be better if—" Mia started, but her twin cut in.
"We can do natural," May agreed, shooting her sister a look.
"Yeah…okay," Mia muttered, and Dani was surprised it wasn't more of a fight. Rook and Amber watched as the twins sat Dani on the couch, and Dani tried to get comfortable, knowing that it was probably going to take a while. The two oni seemed to also realize, and Dani watched them both hesitate as they tried to decide what to do. Wanting to fill the awkward silence as May pulled Dani's hair out of its ponytail, Dani cleared her throat.
"So…Rook. It sounds like you and Theo have worked things out," she said. The oni glanced up at her, and for a moment, Dani panicked. They were dating now, weren't they? Had she stumbled upon a touchy subject.
"We did, yeah," the oni finally said, and Dani let her breath out in relief.
"Wait, were you having problems?" Mia demanded, turning to look at where Rook and Amber were standing. Dani felt a twist of unease, but Rook didn't seem bothered.
"Just adjusting to his new role as Southern leader," she offered smoothly, coming over to sit on the floor. "But he's been at it for almost a year now, so things are a lot better than they were."
Dani didn't miss the look Amber shot Rook, and the bride-to-be knew there was more to the story, but she didn't dare pry. "I'm glad," she said.
"It's kind of crazy to think of Theo as being in charge of basically his own country," May pointed out as she carefully brushed through Dani's hair. "I mean…I think we really got to see that leaderly spark in him after everything at Estyeer…but sometimes I still can't help but see the goofy kid who was always trailing around after Ashley or begging people to play chess."
"You know how to play chess?" Rook asked, and Mia scoffed.
"Duh. Well…kinda. But it's a game from our realm, so of course we would know about it." She held up various foundation pallets next to Dani's face, comparing the shades.
"So…how is it? Dating him?" May asked. Something about her tone was a little off, and Dani frowned. She could see Amber studying the older walker twin as well, and Rook snorted.
"What do you mean?"
"Is he a good kisser?" May blurted, and Mia turned to gape at her sister.
"Did you really just ask that?"
"I've just always wondered!" May snapped, and Dani flinched as she tugged a little too aggressively on her hair. "Geez, this is the stuff that girls always talk about at bachelorette parties, you know!"
"He is," Rook offered, a smile stretching across her face. "A really, really good kisser."
"Stop," Amber begged as she shuddered.
"What? You don't want to hear about your brother kissing someone else? Goodness knows you kiss your boyfriend shamelessly enough," Mia teased, and Amber flushed.
"I don't sit and talk about it," she muttered, tugging at her hair. "And it's weird to hear about Theo like that, okay?"
"I get you. I still can't believe my baby brother is getting hitched," Mia offered. She had decided on a foundation, and Dani took off her glasses and closed her eyes as Mia spread it across her face.
"I don't think I ever met the person you're marrying," Rook realized.
"You'd like him," Dani offered awkwardly, her eyes still closed. "He's really sweet, and an amazing artist."
"Is he a good kisser?" Rook asked mischievously.
"Don't answer that," May ordered, and Dani felt her shudder. "Okay, you're right, Amber. It's weird to hear about your brother like that."
"They're going to be doing more than kissing soon, Sis," Mia pointed out nonchalantly, and Dani's face immediately blazed crimson.
"So…what are you guys wearing tomorrow?" she squeaked, flushing harder as she heard Mia snort at her weak attempt at changing the subject.
"Probably just what I'm wearing now," Rook offered. Dani could feel May spreading eyeshadow on her eyelids now, and she prayed that it wasn't orange.
"Don't Oni change their clothes?" May asked, sounding horrified.
"Eventually," Rook offered.
"You can't wear that to a wedding," Mia tried. "Khakis and a Tee-shirt?"
"Why not?"
"You really should be dressed formally," May sniffed.
"I don't really care what anyone is wearing," Dani insisted.
"Literally everyone else will be dressed up," Mia insisted. Dani waited for Rook to blow her off, but the oni was strangely quiet. By the time Dani was able to open her eyes, she realized that Rook seemed pensive.
A knock at the door startled everyone, and Dani turned with a sinking feeling. "Don't move," May ordered. "I haven't pinned the bun well enough yet."
"I'll get it," Amber offered, heading to the door. For a moment, Dani prayed that it was just some delivery guy—maybe the twins had ordered something? However, as soon as the door opened, she could hear her sister's voice.
"I know I'm late, but I had to go all the way across town and traffic was awful," June sniffed. Dani's fists balled in her lap, her heart pounding as she wondered if this situation would spiral as much as their last conversation. She wished Amber hadn't invited June…but she also knew that her sister could hold grudges when she wanted to, and not being invited to the bachelorette party would definitely have become a grudge.
June came into the room, and her gaze went straight to Dani. The bride-to-be froze, and everyone seemed to hold their breath. After a moment, June sighed and held aloft a tiffany-blue gift bag with white tissue paper sticking out. "I got you something."
Dani bristled. "I told you already, this is the dress I'm wearing!" she spat. Even the Walker twins were silent as everyone watched the two sisters glare at each other, and June shook her head.
"I didn't get you a dress, Danielle. Geez." She came closer, hesitating a moment before putting the bag in her lap. "Open it."
Dani stared down at the bag, wondering what on earth it could be. She recognized the store name printed on the bag—it was designer. Her face flushed again. Had her sister bought her lingerie?
"Well?" Mia pressed, no doubt dying to know what was inside. Dani ripped out the tissue paper with one swoop, revealing a pop of orange. She frowned in confusion, reaching in so she could pull out whatever was inside. Everyone gasped in surprise as Dani removed the hightops from the bag, and she stared at them in shock. They were exactly the same color as the dye on her dress, and the laces were white with silver glitter. June shifted from foot to foot, uncharacteristically uncomfortable as she waited for her sister to say something.
"I couldn't let you wear your old beat up hightops to your own wedding," she blurted at last. "If that's the route you want to go, at least have them match."
Dani wasn't even sure what to say. The shoes actually were beautiful, and she wasn't sure whether to be offended that her sister would try to force her own opinion on her, or touched that June had went through the effort to find something that actually did match with Dani's vision.
"Thank you," she finally stammered.
"So you'll wear them?" June demanded.
"Brand new high tops? You are going to have blisters by the end of tomorrow," Mia tutted.
"I would have brought them sooner, but I had to have them special ordered and they just barely arrived today," June said defensively, folding her arms. "That's why I was late—I had to go pick them up."
"How much did you threaten some poor sales clerk to make sure they arrived on time?" May asked dryly, earning her a scowl from June.
"I'll wear them," Dani said, finally answering her sister's question. She looked up to meet June's eye. "Thank you."
June sagged in what looked like relief, a brief smile flashing across her face. "Good. Oh…and one last thing." She reached into her purse and then pulled out a pair of glasses that looked identical to the ones Dani was currently wearing, except they were white. "Look…you can't wear tortoiseshell with tie-dye, Dani. It just doesn't work. These are your prescription…"
Dani rolled her eyes, but as she accepted the glasses, she decided there really wasn't a reason she couldn't wear them. Especially since she hadn't even thought about how her normal glasses would look with her wedding dress. "Fine," she offered.
June nodded smugly before turning to take in the rest of the apartment. Her expression clouded when she noticed the wooden person in the corner, Rook's knives still buried in his various appendages. "Uh…what on earth is that?"
"We're planning a murder," Mia offered the same time Dani blurted, "Self-defense training." June just stared for another minute before shuddering.
"You know what, I don't even want to know," she finally said, turning back to her sister. "That's not really how you're going to do your hair and makeup tomorrow, right? Because—"
"Yo, Junester, either get in line for a makeover or figure out something else to do, all right?" Mia snapped, brushing something sparkly on Dani's cheeks.
"This is just for fun," Dani offered awkwardly. June didn't look like she believed her, but she stayed quiet as she went and perched on a stool, shooting glances over at Amber and Rook. Dani realized that though her sister had met Amber on a handful of occasions, she hadn't really met any other Oni.
Within a few more minutes, the twins announced that they were finished. Dani blinked, turning to look at them. "Already?" she asked as she replaced her glasses.
"Well, you said you wanted something natural," Mia pointed out with a disappointed shrug. "Natural doesn't take as long."
"Go check it out…tell us what you think," May prompted. Dani frowned, standing so she could head for the bathroom. She was preparing for the worst, but when she caught sight of her reflection she gasped.
She had been expecting to look far too over the top, but both the hair and makeup was simple and tasteful. Mia had used a little gold shine across her cheekbones, and a glittery brown for her eyelids, but other than that, the makeup was actually pretty natural. May had curled two pieces of hair to frame her face and then put the rest up into a bun. While not as simple as a messy bun, it definitely wasn't the intricate, braided bride bun that Dani had been afraid May would do.
"Well?" Mia demanded, and Dani jumped as she realized that everyone had followed her to the bathroom.
"It's perfect," Dani admitted, turning to look at it from different angles.
"Good. Then we'll plan on coming by tomorrow morning," May said, sounding relieved.
"So, this is the look you're going for," June accused. Dani shot her sister a warning look, and June sighed. "Well…It could be worse. At least you didn't try to do like bright orange eyeshadow or anything."
Mia looked like she was about to say something, but May grabbed her arm. "So, who's next?" she asked.
"Yeah," Mia agreed, turning to look at where Amber and Rook were standing. "And please, give us more of a challenge."
The two oni glanced at each other, and Rook frowned. "So…what is it that you're doing, exactly?"
"Come on, May," Mia said, grinning wickedly. "Let's introduce an Oni to makeup."
111
Theo shook out the sleeping bag. "You guys stay in the guest room," he said. "We'll be fine out here."
Keyda was still frowning. "I just think—"
"Rook's going to be on the couch, and Amber's going to be in here with us. I know what it is you're thinking, but you're worried about nothing."
Keyda fell silent, and Cole came over to put a hand on her shoulder. "They'll be okay, Keyds."
"They should have been back by now," Keyda huffed, changing the subject as she looked at the door. "Where are they?"
"Who knows how long these kinds of parties go?" Theo said with a shrug. "I'll wait up for them, if you guys want to head to bed."
It took another hour before his parents took him up on his offer. Having run out of things to do, Theo sat on the couch and tried to stay awake. It was getting pretty late…maybe they shouldn't have waited to start it until 8. He had started to doze when the sound of the doorknob turning woke him up. He could hear muffled voices as they struggled to get the door open, and Theo rolled his eyes as he moved to unlock it.
The door swung open, and Theo shook his head. "What time do you call this?" he teased, and The doorstep was dark, so he couldn't really see their expressions as Amber and Rook glanced at each other.
"The twins wouldn't let us leave," Amber huffed. "It took Dani reminding them that she was getting married tomorrow for them to finally release us."
Theo chuckled, moving to switch on a lamp to illuminate the living room. "All you had to do—" he started, but the words died in his throat as he finally got a good look at them. He blinked in surprise, and Amber scowled as she tugged at one of the curls drooping in her face.
"I told you, they wouldn't let us leave," she muttered. Her hair was piled on top of her head in a pillar of curls that looked like it was on the verge of collapsing. Theo couldn't tell if that was the style the twins had been going for, or if the trip home had just made the whole thing come apart. Amber's orange eyes were paired with glittery emerald eyeshadow that faded into different shades of green, and she was in the middle of wiping off whatever lipstick the twins had paired with it.
"I'm surprised you even recognize us," Rook offered. "I barely did." Theo turned to his girlfriend and tried not to laugh. It wasn't necessarily that the makeup looked bad as much as it didn't look like her. Rook's normally straight hair had been freed from its usual braid, swooping around her face in subtle waves. It was pulled back only on one side, and once again, Theo wasn't sure if it was an intentional move or if the other side had just fallen out. Her face had so much glitter that Theo wondered how much of their makeup the twins had caked on. Rook's rust-colored eyes were narrowed, as if she realized how close he was to laughing. Her eyeshadow was a brilliant gold, and Theo shook his head as he studied the extreme amount of eyeliner and mascara that the twins had applied. It made Rook's eyes look more intense than ever, and with the deep red lipstick she was wearing, Theo agreed that overall it made it hard to even recognize her.
"Hey, Beautiful," he offered, reaching out to squeeze her hand. "How many unicorns did the twins sacrifice to get this effect?
"I'm going to go shower," Amber mumbled, pulling pins out of her hair that caused the curls to drop at a faster rate. As she left the room, Rook moved to come over to Theo, striking a pose.
"So you like it? Should I be spending an hour to do this to myself every morning?" she asked in mock seriousness.
"I mean…if you want," he tried, still trying to stifle a laugh. She dropped the pose, fixing him with a withering look.
"The twins were positive that you'd be head over heels for me, once you saw this," she pointed out. He finally did laugh outright, coming over to take her hand.
"Yeah…well…I already feel that way. A boatload of glitter wasn't really going to change that," he teased.
Rook smirked. "That's what I figured." She wiped a finger across her red lips, then looked down at the color. "I feel a little like a sniffer that just finished going for the kill with this on my lips. As a whole, this is a really strange tradition for me. Back home, this kind of stuff would be nice for disguising my appearance. I used to put stuff on my face all the time to try to make myself unrecognizable. But to wear it just to look "better" is a new concept to me." She eyed him. "The twins insisted everyone would be wearing stuff like this tomorrow for the wedding. Will you?"
Theo snorted. "No."
"Not too surprised. I can't really picture you caked in this much gold," Rook teased. However, then her smirk faded. "Are you going to be dressed up, though?"
Theo blinked. "Nothing too crazy. I just brought a formal outfit from home."
Rook huffed. "You didn't tell me this was a formal occasion."
"You didn't bring a change of clothes?"
"We're only here for two days, right? I was just going to wear this tomorrow." She gestured to her tee shirt and khakis, and Theo winced.
"Well…"
"Great. Now what do I do?"
"I can transport home, if you want," he offered. "Grab you something formal."
"The twins showed me the kinds of things I should be wearing, and I don't own anything like that at home," Rook grumbled.
"What kinds of things?"
"Silly gowns that aren't paired with trousers—which, quite frankly I don't understand the point of. If it doesn't protect you from the sun and it doesn't protect you from the cold then what's the point of wearing it? Some of the things they were showing me were barely a step up from wearing nothing at all."
Theo laughed, trying to hide the fact that he was flushing a little. "Well…the wedding isn't until the evening," he pointed out. "We could try to go shopping tomorrow morning, if you really want something new to wear."
Rook frowned in thought. "Okay," she said at last. "But how will we pay for anything? Money doesn't work the same here as it does at home."
"I'll take care of that," Theo promised. "How was the party? Other than getting turned into a glitter-sniffer? Did they like chucking knives at me?"
"It wasn't you," Rook insisted. "It was just a general oni outline, okay? And for the record, they're all pretty deadly now, so don't get on anyone's bad side."
Theo laughed. "I'm glad it worked out." He glanced over at the door to the bathroom, where he could hear the shower running. He lowered his voice a little. "Thanks for stepping in to help. Mia and May have their hearts in the right place, but as you probably saw tonight, they can be pretty intense. When they came barging in here earlier, I was sure it was going to turn out a lot different."
"It wasn't really a big deal," Rook insisted.
"Who all was there?"
Rook shrugged. "A lot of sisters. Don't ask me to remember all their names."
Theo frowned. "Dani has a lot of sisters?"
"Only one was her sister, but then you have the twin sisters, and your sister…" Rook laughed. "It felt a little weird to not be related to somebody." She moved to go sit on the couch, and Theo followed suit. Rook sighed as she plopped down onto the worn cushions. "You know, family never was that big of a deal growing up. There were times I missed my actual parents, but I barely remembered them. Quazier used to tell us that the trade was a family…but it was the worst kind of family."
Theo was quiet as he listened; Rook had become pensive, and he wasn't sure whether she wanted him to interrupt her train of thought or not. He slipped his hand into hers, but she didn't seem to notice.
"It's weird," she said at last. "I never really wondered what it would be like to have a family until the last year. To have parents, siblings…family drama." She snorted at herself, glancing over at him. "I convinced myself from a young age that people who had to depend on others were weak…but I'm learning that's not quite true, is it?"
Theo shrugged, thinking about his own family. "It can be hard, sometimes. But ultimately, I don't know where I'd be without my family."
"Were you and your sister close when you were growing up?"
Theo glanced at the bathroom again. "Inseparable. We were the only friends we were really allowed to have, it felt like."
"It's not like that anymore, though," Rook pointed out.
Theo blinked. "What do you mean?"
"You have your own lives now," his girlfriend explained, turning her body to face him more. "I think I've seen your sister more times than you have in the last year…and I still barely know anything about her."
Theo studied Rook, trying to figure out where this train of thought was coming from. "We just spent time together in the oni realm," he pointed out.
"I guess that's true," Rook said.
"Why do you think we aren't close?" Theo demanded. Rook frowned, as if trying to decide whether to say something. Theo raised an eyebrow. "Rook?"
"The others at the party were asking about you," she offered at last. "How you were doing, how things were going in your leading…"
"You didn't tell them everything, did you?" Theo asked, feeling sick. It was one thing for his immediate family to know about what had happened, but if Mia and May knew he had been poisoned, then it wouldn't be long before everyone did.
"I kept it positive," Rook assured. "But you know, they weren't asking me. They asked your sister…and she told them that she didn't really know much about you anymore, and so then they asked me." Rook shrugged a shoulder, suddenly more interested in looking at her fingernails than Theo. "I don't know. I guess I was under the assumption that your sister hated me as much as your parents—"
"Amber doesn't hate you," Theo argued, but Rook was still talking.
"But I wonder if she just misses you, and thinks I'm stealing you away."
"Did Amber say that?" he asked in shock. Rook glanced up and smiled sheepishly.
"Well…no. It might be a theory Dani has that she told me privately tonight. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if she's right."
Theo went quiet, thinking about it himself. "I mean…we still talk," he thought, but deep down he knew it had been a long time since he and his sister had gotten together just to get together. A worm of guilt twisted in his stomach as he thought back on all the times he had told Amber that they could hang out, just for something or another to happen to cancel their plans.
"Why don't we stick around here for an extra day?" Rook prompted. "Then you guys could actually spend some time together."
"But then I'd have to leave you on your own," Theo pointed out. "Maybe—"
"I'm a strong woman, Theo—I can handle being on my own for a few hours," Rook pointed out.
Theo hesitated. "I'll talk to Amber tomorrow and see if she would even want to," he conceded at last.
"Perfect," Rook agreed, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Now…why don't we make use of our limited amount of private time?"
Theo chuckled. "You're hopeless," he pointed out, but with the sound of the shower still going in the distance, he leaned in and kissed her, lipstick and all.
Dani stared at the ceiling in the apartment, which felt eerily silent now that everyone had left. With her hair out of its bun and the makeup scrubbed off, she tried to tell herself that she was ready for the next day, but she couldn't shake the feeling of nervousness that something would go wrong the next day, even though she knew everything was coming together.
Her phone buzzed, and she glanced over at it on the nightstand. After picking it up, she smiled a little when she saw who it was.
You up? Colby asked.
You should get to sleep, Walker. Don't you have a big day tomorrow? She teased.
His reply came a few minutes later. Can't sleep. My mind won't shut up.
Dani chewed her lip. Reservations?
His reply took a minute, which panicked her, until the message finally popped up. No. I had a dream that I made all the sprinklers explode in the garden and everyone got soaked and I ruined our whole day.
Dani laughed out loud, sitting up as she texted him back. Is there any way we could make that reality?
It's not funny, Dani. I woke up sick to my stomach.
You have to admit, it would be a funny story, she replied. It just might take a few years for the humor to set in.
Colby sent an unamused emoji before sending his reply. It would ruin the whole ceremony. I'm trying not to stress about it, but I can hear the pipes in the walls groaning and it's making it worse.
There's nothing you could do to ruin our day, Walker, Dani assured. Even if the sprinklers did explode, it would still be the perfect day, because I'd be with you.
He didn't reply right away, and Dani wondered if he didn't believe her, or if he thought she was still teasing him. After a moment, she went to write more, but then his reply popped up on the screen. It was a cheese emoji, followed by a kissing emoji, and Dani snorted. Colby's next message came after. How are you feeling? Nervous?
Dani studied the message for a minute, trying to figure out how to reply. Yes, she admitted. But I'm excited, too. I almost wish we had planned it for the morning, rather than the evening. Not sure how I'm going to wait all day long just to get hitched to you.
I was thinking the same thing, Colby offered. But this means we probably have time to sneak off and get some breakfast together, before things get crazy. If you want to, that is.
Dani smiled. Pancake House on 9th?
Of course. Pick you up at 8?
Don't be late, Dani warned. I'm going to need a lot of waffles to power me through the rest of the day.
I'm never late where waffles are involved. I'll let you get to sleep, now. Love you, Dani
Love you too, Walker. Don't worry about the sprinklers, or anything else. Tomorrow is going to be perfect.
I know. But maybe bring an umbrella…just in case.
112
"So people in Ninjago just don't wear any trousers when they're wearing a dress? I guess you don't have to worry about scorpions or snakes or getting chaffed by all the dust and sand in the air." Rook pulled another outfit off of a rack. "It's going to feel a little strange, though."
"I mean, if you don't want to wear a dress, you don't have to," Theo offered. He seemed uncomfortable being in the store, and Rook wasn't sure why. Though, as she looked around at the clientele, she didn't see any other men around.
"Are you trying to rush me?" she asked coyly, flashing him a smirk.
"No," he countered. "I'm just saying you don't have to dress up if you don't want to."
"This is interesting," Rook mused, frowning as she pulled another piece of clothing off of the rack. She held it up for Theo to see—it looked like a bunch of scraps, barely attached to each other enough to hold its shape. "Is this supposed to be a dress? It's shorter than a tunic would be back home, and it's got all these gaps. Can you imagine it on me? It wouldn't cover anything." She held it up to herself, and smirked in victory as Theo flushed.
"Fashion is weird," he agreed, turning away to scan another rack. Rook was tempted to add the scrappy dress to her pile to try on, but then she decided against it. The truth was, she didn't even know how it was supposed to be worn, and she didn't want to unwittingly give Theo ammunition against her if she came out wearing it completely incorrectly.
"So, is there anything specific I need to know about this ceremony? I won't have to speak for the couple…right?"
"Weddings aren't like bindings. You don't have to have anyone's permission. People are invited to come watch, but they don't have any say in whether the ceremony could happen or not."
Rook fingered the shoulder of another gown. "That would be nice," she murmured.
"Do you want to go try those on?" he asked, gesturing to the gowns she was holding. She glanced down at them and shrugged.
"Might as well." Rook headed for the little chambers in the back of the store where she'd be able to change in private. She flashed Theo a smile before pulling the curtain closed to get changed. She felt a strange sense of urgency to find something quickly, but part of her also wanted to drag out this shopping trip as much as she could. It was nice to have Theo to herself—staying with his entire family in such close quarters had been nerve-wracking so far. She tried to act confident and unbothered, but she honestly was struggling keeping her anxiety at bay.
The orange dress slipped on easily enough, and Rook frowned at her reflection as she took it in. It was gaping all over the place, but because she didn't understand Ninjago fashion, she had no idea if it was supposed to look like this or not.
"Find something you like?" Theo asked from behind the curtain, and Rook huffed before opening it for him to see.
"I mean…this one's all right," she offered, studying his expression. He frowned as he looked her up and down, and Rook cleared her throat. "It just doesn't fit as well as it could," she finished.
"Yeah, it's a little big," Theo agreed.
Rook snapped the curtain closed to try on the other gowns, but each one she tried had its own problems. One was made of an obnoxious cloth that scraped her skin, while another pooled around her feet. She managed to squeeze herself into a tight silver dress, but she cursed herself as she realized she couldn't get it back off again.
"Are you okay?" Theo called through the curtain as Rook's cursing grew louder.
"These things are death traps!" Rook huffed. "Why would anyone wear something so difficult to get on and off? And why make it so tight?"
"Do you need help?" Theo asked, sounding hesitant. Rook glanced at her reflection, noting how tangled the dress was now. Her right arm had somehow gotten threaded through the neckline, and she could see that the flimsy cloth was reaching its limit for how much it could be stretched.
"I might," she grumbled at last. The curtain moved as Theo came into the dressing chamber, and Rook tried to blow at the hair that had come out of her braid and was now sticking to her face. Theo started laughing when he caught sight of her, and she turned to glare at him. "If you're just going to mock me, I can figure this out myself."
"How did you even manage to do this?" he asked, not quite stifling a few last chuckles.
"The clothing here doesn't make any sense. It's not my fault," Rook muttered. Theo turned her around a few times, studying the dress as he tried to calculate a way to get it off her. Suddenly, he stopped her, fingering the seam along the side.
"Did you try to undo the zipper?" he asked.
Rook furrowed her brow. "The what?"
Rather than answer, Theo grabbed at a small sliver of metal sticking out of the dress below Rook's armpit—she hadn't even noticed it until he pointed it out. With one smooth motion, he pulled down, and the fabric of the dress split apart.
"You ripped it!" she accused, but as she took a closer look in the mirror, she realized that the fabric wasn't torn.
"It's a hidden zipper," Theo corrected, pointing out the small teeth lining both sides of the tear. "We don't have zippers in our realm, but you have them on your jeans that you bought from Ninjago. I assumed you knew about them."
"Those ones are small, and far more visible," Rook pointed out defensively. She didn't mention the fact that zippers had blown her mind the first time she had learned about them as well, instead focusing her attention on wriggling out of the dress now that it wasn't so tight. Theo glanced away as she managed to pull the dress off completely, and Rook sighed in relief as she tossed the silvery dress with the others on the floor.
"Nothing fit right," she complained. "Now what am I going to do?"
"There are plenty of other dresses," Theo pointed out as he continued averting his gaze. Rook turned to smirk at him. She thought of teasing him about his shyness, but decided against it. She pulled on her khakis and tee-shirt.
"Or maybe I just can't fit into this kind of style," Rook muttered.
"Since when do you care about that?" Theo asked, sounding surprised. Rook huffed as she tightened the belt around her pants.
"I don't care if I don't look like everyone else, but I don't want to be the arrogant Oni who doesn't even care enough to try to honor tradition."
"No one would think that," Theo argued.
"Everyone already treats me like I don't care about anything but myself!" she countered. "And normally, I'd say more power to them. But I don't want to make a scene and make Dani wish she hadn't ever invited me."
"It wouldn't make a scene," Theo assured, but then he pushed his way out of the small chamber. Rook picked up the discarded dresses, trying to remember what they looked like on. The scratchy dress had fit the best, but she shuddered as she thought about wearing it for any length of time. The clothing she had bought at the thrift store with Dani had all been so comfortable…maybe they should try one of those kinds of stores, rather than this fancy one where the keepers of the shop kept studying her with a wrinkled nose.
Just as Rook was discarding the idea of buying the scratchy dress, Theo called from the outside of the curtain. "Can I come back in?"
"Sure. There's nothing to see, though," Rook said, dumping the dress back with the others. The curtain slid across the rod as Theo re-entered, and he smiled shyly as he held up another dress.
"What about something like this?"
Rook frowned as she accepted the gown. It was a deep green color, and the material felt stretchy and comfortable, instead of scratchy and stiff. She frowned at the strange shape—how did this even go on? She fingered a strange hoop of cloth that was connected to the top, and Theo cleared his throat.
"That part goes around your neck," he explained.
"How do I get my head through the hole?"
"You undo the latch, and then do it up once it's on. I'll help," he offered. Rook wasn't sure she understood, but she figured she might as well give it a go. After a few minutes, and a little help from Theo, the dress was on. Rook turned to stare at her bare back in the mirror.
"This is so weird," she pointed out. "It covers the front, but not the back. I can understand leaving one's shoulders bare, but to leave your entire back exposed?"
"It's a dress, not a suit of armor," Theo chuckled. "But if you don't like it…"
"It fits," Rook countered. "And it's comfortable…so it's already leagues better than the other things I tried." She turned to face Theo, raising an eyebrow. "How does it look?"
He rubbed his neck, shy again. "It looks really nice," he offered, and Rook grinned.
"If I knew you liked seeing my back so much, I would have bought something like this a while ago," she pointed out. He flushed a deeper red.
"I just thought it'd be a nice color on you," he countered, and Rook snorted as she gathered up her clothes.
"I think the dress's color is the furthest thing from your mind," she accused. "But I like it. Let's go pay someone and get out of this place, shall we?"
"Are you sure you like it?" Theo pressed, seeming uncomfortable now. "Because if you don't—"
"I like it because I can tell you like it," Rook teased. "Come on, Theo. Let's go see how uncomfortable it will make your parents."
Amber had thought she and M were really early, but the number of cars already parked in the shadow of the floating temple made her start to worry that she had gotten the time of the wedding incorrect.
"The ceremony isn't for a few more hours, right?" M asked, clearly having the same thought as the elevator carried them up to the temple.
"I thought so," Amber said, adjusting the bag she was carrying on her shoulder. She had promised Julien she and M would come early to help, so she hadn't even gotten dressed in wedding attire yet. If they were late, she was going to be showing up to the ceremony in a tee-shirt and shorts.
"Maybe Julien asked a lot of people to come help," M mused. The elevator reached the temple grounds, and they headed off toward the hedge maze that would lead to the garden.
"Dani only wanted a simple ceremony—there shouldn't be that much to set up," Amber pointed out with a frown. She hurried through the maze, her stomach twisting with fear that she and M were about to walk into the middle of the wedding itself. They reached the end of the maze at last, and the sight of people setting up chairs and hanging various decorations made her sag with relief. "They're still setting up," she realized, and M pointed at the edge of the clearing.
"There's Julien."
The young man had his back turned to them, busy instructing his parents on where he wanted them to set up a wooden arch. Amber and M headed over, but Julien didn't notice them.
"I think it needs to be back father, so that hedge fills in the space as a natural backdrop."
"Are they supposed to stand beneath the arch?" P.I.X.A.L asked, and Julien shook his head.
"Lloyd will stand right in front of it to conduct the ceremony, and they will be in front of him. Moving it back will give us more space."
"If that is the case, we should move the chairs back—the front row is a little too close," Zane mused.
Amber glanced at M, trying to figure out how to interrupt the conversation to ask what they could do to help. Luckily, though the nindroids and their son didn't notice her, Agatha did.
"You made it!" the beautiful scientist called out, and Amber turned right as Agatha reached them and wrapped the xinta in a hug. Amber froze, not used to being hugged by people other than M and her family, but Agatha didn't seem offended that Amber hadn't immediately hugged her back. The blonde woman pulled back as she beamed. "Do you two mind helping set up ze food? Julien vas supposed to help, but he and his parents have been stuck on measurement minutia for an hour."
"Twenty-three minutes," Julien corrected, turning to face them at last. His eyes flicked over Amber and M, and he offered a small smile. "I am glad you could make it."
"Forty-seven minutes and tvelve seconds," Agatha challenged, and Julien rolled his eyes.
"I am just making sure that everything is in the optimal place," he pointed out.
"I do not zink Dani and Colby vill care if the arch is three inches 'too far' in eizer direction," Agatha pointed out before turning to Amber and M. "Ve are setting up ze food on zis side."
Amber and M followed Agatha to the other side of the garden, taking the decorations as they went. Amber was surprised by how much they had managed to transform the area. Thirty or so chairs were set up in rows facing the arch that Julien and his parents were still discussing, and small columns topped with orange, red, and yellow flowers formed rows next to the seats. Large flat rocks lined the aisle between the seats, leading to the arch.
"I don't remember that path being there," Amber pointed out, pausing to study it.
"It vasn't zere before," Agatha pointed out. "We made it today—a removable cobblestone path for ze bride to travel on. After ze ceremony, ve can pick ze rocks up and it vill be like ze paz vas never zere."
"It looks nice," M offered.
"It vas Julien's idea—somezing about using river rocks to tie in Colby's element to ze decorations. If you zot Julien vas taking forever getting ze arch in place, you don't even vant to know how long it took him to put zat paz together."
It surprised Amber to know that Julien even cared about that sort of thing, but it had also surprised her when Dani had told her that Julien had offered to take on the wedding preparations. Though, the xinta had to admit that out of all of her extended family in Ninjago, Julien was probably the person she knew the least about. Maybe he just had a love of decorating that she had no idea about.
"Something smells good," M pointed out, and Amber had to agree, sniffing at the rich chocolatey smell in the air.
Agatha smiled. "Skylor and Kai have been baking all day. It has been difficult to sneak tastes of zeir goodies." By now, Amber could see the long tables where drinks and food were set up, but there were a lot of empty spaces. Agatha gestured for them to follow her into the temple, and the delicious smells grew stronger as they approached the kitchen.
"Kai, can you get the brownies out of the oven? I'm in the middle of skewering sausages," Skylor was saying as they entered. Kai moved to obey, but then stopped when he saw who was entering the kitchen.
"Ah, good. More help. If I have to plate another batch of brownies, I'm going to lose my mind."
"Just tell us what to plate, and we'll plate," M offered. Amber looked around the kitchen and shook her head in amazement.
"I thought Dani said there was just going to be cake," she pointed out. "Does she know about all of this?"
Skylor and Kai shared a look. "Well…Julien did just ask us to make a cake, but we run a restaurant for a living, for Pete's sake. We could whip up a few extra appetizers," Kai pointed out.
"Have you made the cake yet?" M asked, frowning as he looked around the room.
"Of course!" Kai huffed, and Skylor moved to pull open the fridge.
"Wanna sneak peak?" she asked. Amber, M, and Agatha crowded closer. It was three tiered, covered in traditional white frosting, but with marbled swirls in a deep blue color that gave it a unique look. On the top of the cake, there was a paintbrush and a music note.
"Wow, Skylor…I had no idea you were so good at cake decoration," Amber offered in surprise, studying it.
"I can't take credit," the restaurant owner offered with a little smirk, glancing at her husband as he removed the brownies from the oven. "I may know my way around noodles, but Kai here is the baker, if you'd believe it."
"You say that like a strong, good-looking man can't also make impeccable baked goods," he sniffed.
"The wedding topper is perfect," M offered, squinting at the two items. "More creative than just a bride and groom. Much more them."
"You know, he did try to make Dani and Colby out of fondant originally…but they ended up looking like tiny frosting demons who could suck out people's souls," Skylor offered. Kai turned to glower.
"They weren't that bad!"
"The Colby one had red dripping down his face like blood."
"It's tricky to paint tiny facial features!"
"The cake looks really good, Uncle Kai. They're going to love it," Amber offered, and he turned to give Amber a grateful smile.
"Just don't let your dad and brother eat it all, okay? I didn't have time to make them their own."
Amber laughed at that, and soon she and M were plating goodies and carting them out to the table. By now, the wedding was only an hour or so away, and Amber wondered how soon everyone would be arriving. She wasn't sure who all was coming, but she didn't see any of Dani's family yet. In fact, as they worked, she realized she hadn't seen anyone from Colby's family, either. Maybe they were with the bride and groom somewhere, celebrating privately? Amber's family was coming at some point, and she assumed Ashley and Will would too. Lloyd and several people that Amber didn't recognize finished setting up chairs and moved on to thread fairy lights through hedges.
"Agatha, do you know who those men and women are?" Amber asked, gesturing to those helping the Green Ninja.
Agatha turned. "I believe some of zem are police officers from vere Colby vorks, and ozers are people he and Lloyd befriended vile traveling."
"He must have made a lot of friends traveling; they've set up a lot of chairs," M pointed out. "I don't know why, but I guess I was kind of expecting a small gathering. This is turning out to be quite the event!"
"Yeah," Amber agreed. All at once, she hoped that Dani wasn't going to feel bad. Amber wasn't exactly sure who all Dani had invited herself, but she had a feeling that those here for Colby would greatly outnumber those here for Dani. Maybe she was wrong…maybe Dani had lots of friends and relations that she didn't know about…or maybe her friend wouldn't even care if there was a difference in the number of guests supporting Colby or herself. However, as she stared at the empty chairs that filled nearly half of the garden, she couldn't help but wonder how things would be if she were ever to have a wedding like this. The list of people she would feel obligated to invite was lengthy, and would fill just as many chairs. But how many people would be sitting on M's side? Just his father? And that would only be if Marty IV didn't refuse to come to the wedding, given that Amber knew he still didn't fully approve of their relationship….
"You okay, Oni-girl?" M asked, breaking her concentration. Amber blinked and glanced over at her boyfriend.
"Yeah, why?" she asked, feigning innocence.
"Because you were just glaring at those chairs like they deserved to be punished for something," M pointed out. "What's their crime? Being too uncomfortable to host an entire wedding party?"
"I was just hoping that there would be enough chairs for everyone," Amber tried, turning her attention back to stacking plates on the end of the table.
"I mean, with Julien in charge, I'm sure that there is exactly the right number of chairs," M pointed out. "And I saw some spares folded up in the temple, so they can always bring out more."
"You're right," Amber agreed, though her mind didn't want to let go of the train of thought so easily. All she could think about was the fact that every time marriage was brought up, and specifically when people brought up a potential marriage between her and M, her boyfriend either shut down or became incredibly defensive. Something about weddings really bothered him, but she had yet to figure out what it was that made him avoid the subject completely. Was it because he knew that Amber would have plenty of people to invite…and he had so few?
"All right, I think you've rearranged those plates enough times now," M joked, once again bringing her to the present. "The ceremony isn't that far off. What do you say we go try to find the bathroom and get changed? Unless you're planning on us dressing down for this event."
"You're right," Amber realized, looking down at her outfit with a start. "We should get changed."
"Do you think they'll play music after the ceremony?" M asked. Amber glanced at him in confusion as they headed into the temple.
"I don't know. Why?"
He winked. "Because I brought my dancing shoes."