by CallieO on Tue Dec 13, 2011 8:00 am
Allisa and I just completed this RP together.
Callie Volopa and Allisa Get Married
December 12, 2011
Though it's December, it's an unseasonably warm afternoon in Verlosi'ka, at the Volopas' Joining Place, the piece of land set aside since ages past for members of Callie's clan to get married. The birds are chirping their delight, and the audience gathered behind Callie Volopa and Allisa begins to settle into their seats and hush up as Maylana Salveni raises both hands above her head in a "V" shape.
The 798-year-old, brown-furred, eight-tailed female vulpine is both the oldest and most-tailed vulpine whom Allisa's ever met. Indeed, there are few vulpines in the world who've attained more than three-- and Callie, with her five, is rare enough that she already qualifies as a "High Blessed of The Lady", even at her modest age of 30 years old.
Maylana, at the moment, is the very model of a stern, authoritarian, elder with no sense of humor-- even though Callie knows that outside her job as the Verlosi Tribe's may'havin (shaman), she's just as fun-loving and hedonistic as the vulpine norm. But this is her role right now, and she plays it well.
"Who is this impudent person," Maylana demands in harsh Vulpani, "this outsider who dares plead to join our proud Verlosi Tribe-- and more than that, to marry into such an esteemed family? What gives her the right to wed Callista Kayami Volopa, so beloved of The Lady that she's already recognized as Musha Villa?" Maylana is standing on a small stage that's added eight inches to her already formidable height. "Who do you think you are?"
As Maylana speaks, Callie closes her eyes and bows her head in thoughtful contemplation. She'd already explained this part of the ritual to Allisa-- it's the Challenge Ritual to be formally welcomed into the Verlosi Tribe. She's explained to Allisa that these questions have been passed down from generation to generation, and are not meant to be literally taken personally. But Allisa *would* have to prove her worthiness with her words, and Maylana *would* be within her rights to deny Allisa's right to marry Callie if she misspoke.
Allisa stands proudly in the simple white triestan robe, her long brown hair unbound and flowing over her shoulders to her waist. She wears nothing else, even her jewelry removed for this moment. With her chin raised and her brown eyes bright, she delivers her response in fluent Vulpani, each word carefully crafted to carry the image she wants. "I am Allisa, daughter of Rolf and Lydia, simple farmers of the Ilifrian Empire. I am a dancer, a traveller, a singer of songs and a teller of tales. I am a crafter of words and a preserver of lost songs." She lowers her head slightly, showing her submission to Maylana's authority, and adds. "Here I am a humble petitioner, servant of The Lady, and fuch'vulpine. Above all, I am ya`towa and delifi to Callista, who holds my heart in her hands. I come because without her, I am no more."
Callie is almost motionless beside Allisa; if not for the very slight swaying of her tails so they don't grow stiff, and the light ssurrus of her breathing, one might think she'd been frozen in place. Callie, a native-born member of the Verlosi Tribe, is wearing a robe nearly identical to that of Allisa, except hers is in gold, reflecting that status. When Allisa was granted entry into the Verlosi Tribe, there was a gold robe waiting for her as well.
But Maylana wasn't done with Allisa yet. Now that the words of ages past have been spoken, Maylana was free to pick apart Allisa's words. She was going to do her duty and make sure that Allisa damn well *earned* her right to become a member of the Verlosi Tribe. The tribe would be done no favors if a thoughtless, witless, weak person were to join. But it would be significantly enhanced if a true fuch'vulpine, made of fire and steel, added her strength to their own.
"What do you mean when you say, 'you are no more'? How has this woman standing beside you changed your life? And do you mean to say that you possess no strength of your own; that you must lean upon Callista in all things? Tell me truly."
Allisa lifts her eyes at that, a flash of her true strength shared between her and the older Vulpine, strength she'd earned through pain, blood and persistence. "I have strength, in part, because Callista taught me to be strong. For years she has been as powerful river, moving, changing, yet always irresistably strong in her course. Like a swimmer, I've had to find new depths of strength to keep moving without being overwhelmed. She has been my shelter in the storm, my sword in battle and my comfort in rest. She completes my soul, and my fire balances her ice. Without knowing she was waiting for my return, I would not have traveled much of the world as I have, nor found my lost sister after years of questing for her, nor returned from the darkness when I was lost. I say I am no more without her because nothing can live without its heart, and mine I have willingly given to her care."
Callie silently says a prayer to The Lady during the unnumbered seconds after Allisa's fantastic response, thanking Her for bringing Allisa into her life, and requesting that Allisa's petition be accepted. If *those* eloquent words weren't sufficient... goddess, what *would* be?
After carefully considering Allisa's words for a good minute or so-- which seemed, to Callie, to be more like ten minutes-- Maylana finally speaks again. "Truly, you have spoken wisely. Allisa, daughter of Rolf and Lydia... the Verlosi Tribe will welcome you into its ranks, after we cleanse you of the impurities of the world, and bring you into our presence as a new person. Let it be so now." Maylana bows formally and takes several steps back, off the platform.
At the conclusion of Maylana's last sentence, two single-tailed male triestan acolytes-- wearing simple brown pentient's robes-- rise from their place at the front of the audience. And using their claws, created by the Sharpen Claw spell, they tear Allisa's white triestan robe from behind, shredding it and leaving the human naked beside her bride, and in front of the shaman and invited guests.
One of the men takes Allisa by the hand and begins to lead her across smooth stepping stones, towards a nearby mud pit, where two nude female triestan acolytes are waiting to receive them.
Allisa stands outwardly-calmly as she waits for the response, though her heart seems to be trying to start a drum roll by the time the elder speaks again. She can't help her smile as she hears the words, bowing her head lower in acceptance of her pronouncement. A shiver of memory catches her breath as her robe is ripped away. Callie had warned her, of course, but she still fights down the urge to unleash her magic at the young men. All of her jewelry is removed, it soon becomes clear, the gold and gems that usualy adorn her naval and her sex missing for the moment, only the metalic inks of the tattoo above her mound remain. She allows the man to lead her to the mud pit, her composure restored before he even touches her skin.
Callie doesn't watch as Allisa's robe is torn from her-- she's not *supposed* to watch-- but she can certainly hear the ripping of the fabric, and the catching of her breath. The vixen would never forget the fact that Allisa had spent a week in a dungeon run by savage wolven, being brutally beaten and raped, and she probably would have died if not for a dramatic escape. Or the time she'd been raped in a temple, and had sent out a Message spell to her afterwards, and Callie had arrived with her healer slave. The vixen is not unsympathetic to what Allisa must be feeling. But it's all part of the ceremony.
In contrast to the violence with which Allisa had been stripped-- though the claws had not so much as touched her body-- the male acolytes are very gentle with her as they lead her to the mud pit. When they arrive, they hand her off to one of the females, who greets her with a tender smile, kissing her first on the right cheek, then on the left. "Karsha, dan'towa," she says. ["Welcome, tribe-sister."] Leading her into the mud-pit, the one who spoke, and the other one, begin to slather mud onto Allisa's nude body.
Allisa seems to have her feelings fully in check as she's handed off to the women, smiling brightly at the kisses and the greeting. "I'm glad to be home," she replies, still speaking fully in Vulpani. She remembers a contest in the tower of Unigo, years ago, as she wades out into the mud, her strong legs moving hard through the thick liquid. She quietly prays that _someone_ hasn't spiked the mud with Arousal potions, as it had been back then, her smile taking an amused quirk to it. She holds her arms out, letting the acolytes reach every inch of her naked body.
When Allisa's body is fully covered with mud, she's lifted out of the pit by the second female-- the one who hadn't yet spoken-- and she takes one of Allisa's hands, while the male who hadn't stripped her takes the other. These four people each have very well-defined roles.
"As you walk down the path to Lake Kilinia," the man says while they walk, "consider things in your heart. Think back to the earliest days of your memory. The way things were before you came to Nanthalion. Think about your first meeting with Callista. About how you became friends, and how you became lovers. Think about the day you decided that you wanted to share your life with her. And think about what has taken place thus far today. Think only of the past, and the present."
Allisa nods in response to the man's words as she's lead down the path to the lake, the cool mud warming and drying on her skin with each step. She thinks back to her childhood, playing with her older sister before she was ripped away from her life. Years of training and dancing, friends and boys, parents and rules cycle through her mind. Each step seems to carry her forward through the years, arriving at the Inn the first time, where she met Callie the very first night. Friendship, fun, fights and romps roll through her thoughts, the leaving of Callie's former lover shining harsh in her thoughts. She keeps her mind rooted firmly in the past, as instructed, finding Callie's face bright in her memory more often than not.
The woman guiding Allisa enters Lake Kilinia first; the lake is chilly even on this unseasonably warm December afternoon, but not so chilly that it's intolerable for a minute or two. The man lets go of Allisa's hand and takes hold of her rump, giving it a light slap to compel the human to enter the water. And then the male strips out of his penitent's robe and enters the water with them.
As the vulpines wash the mud from Allisa's body, both of them speak. Their words are in unison, but the man speaks in a strong baritone, while the woman's voice is a lilting alto.
"We cleanse you of the impurities of the world, and join your vulpine soul with your human body."
Allisa would know that they're speaking metaphorically: This act would not *actually* bring an immortal vulpine soul into her body and enable her to live the near nine-hundred years that Callie would be able to. But it's the spirit of things that matters.
Allisa jumps a little at the slap, giving a startled yelp as she was already stepping into the chilly waters. Still, the jolt serves to shake her out of her memories and focus her thoughts on the present. That, and the feel of the cold water being washed over her skin, raising goosebumps and making her bare nipples hard as stone. She draws a deep breath, closing her eyes as she's bathed. She pictures the past flowing away from her, still there in the background but no longer holding her her as tight as it once did. "I stand clean and naked, ready to be born," she replies in her own flowing mezzo soprano voice when most of the mud is cleaned away.
Over the next three minutes, the vulpines wash Allisa every bit as thoroughly as she'd been dirtied. The male even takes a deep breath and goes under the water to wash off Allisa's knees, legs and feet. The vulpines had dipped their hands into the water holding bars of soap, and are washing Allisa with their bare hands-- no washcloths or anything. Finally, the woman turns Allisa around, and leads her out of the lake.
The male follows them, and hands Allisa a towel to dry herself off with. When she's done, she begins to lead her back up the stepping stones; as they move back towards the wedding party, the woman speaks now.
"As you walk back up the path to the Joining Place," she says, "consider things in your heart. Think about what it'll feel like when you're officially recognized as part of the tribe, and then when you join your heart to Callista's. Think about the joyful reception that will follow. Think about the family you'll start, and the life you'll lead with her. Think only of the future."
Allisa dries herself gratefully after the cold waters, still feeling the chill in her muscles as the sun warms her once again. The instructions bring a bright smile to her clean lips. Indeed, she'd thought of very little else since they had finally set the date for their joining. The cold water forgotten, she walks with a lightness and spring in her step that comes from not only her dancing training but the joy growing in her heart. She seems completely comfortable as she walks, nude, between the acolytes. As they approach the Joining Place she can't help but giggle softly, her excitement at seeing her lover once more needing an outlet to keep her from breaking out of the ritual pace and running to Callie's arms.
As Allisa moves back up the path, Callie has been given leave (according to the ceremony) to turn towards her and watch, and thus she's doing so, the vixen's own smile very much on par with Allisa's mirth. Despite the solemn manner Callie has had during the ceremony-- another behavioral requirement for the joining-- this is the greatest day of the fox's life, and every little bit of body language tells Allisa so.
When Allisa has returned to the same spot she was in when being addressed by the shaman, the woman puts out a hand in front of Allisa to stop her. And the man who stripped her rises from the audience again, this time carrying a golden robe identical to Callie's, except in a different size and without the tail-hole.
"Please forgive my earlier behavior," the man says-- another ceremonial thing to say-- "and accept this golden robe, dan'towa." He drapes it over her shoulders and ties it around her waist, and then kisses her on the cheek, as the woman had earlier. Callie's smile broadens as she sees the golden robe upon her lover's body.
Maylana Salveni is again upon the stage, and as she speaks, Callie turns to face her, as Allisa was expected to do.
"Thus are you hereby inducted into the Verlosi Tribe, Allisa. Now, I implore each of you to look deeply into your hearts. Marriage is an important commitment, requiring sacrifice and the most serious mind. It is not to be entered into lightly. Close your eyes, and consider what you are doing. Callista... if after your meditation, you still wish to wed Allisa, say, 'I do.'"
Callie closes her eyes, and considers the matter thoughtfully. She and Allisa had been engaged for the better part of half a decade. Had it really been that long? Allisa had not been the first person she'd ever loved, but she'd been the first to show her what love could *really* be like.
Her relationship with Andrew Salimo, starting when she'd been thirteen, had just been childish infatuation. Giving her virginity to Hikasha Romaine at age 18 had been a partnership made merely for the sex education classes. They'd been friends afterward, and had remained friends, but there'd never been love there. And Hikasha had since discovered his true sexual orientation, anyway, and was very happy with his boyfriend of the last four years.
Callie's relationship with Katie Valina had been a little different. Allisa had told the shaman that Allisa and Callie were like fire and ice, but no-- Katie and Callie fit better into that mold. Distinct polar opposites in nearly every respect, save their mutual lust for each other. Their relationship had always been rocky, and eventually had turned bitter.
Allisa had been Callie's best friend at the time she and Katie had broken up. And in retrospect, it had started out as a rebound relationship. The fox had been in no way ready to become someone's girlfriend in the immediate aftermath of that heartbreaking split. But eventually, she and Allisa had found their equilibrium, and though they didn't always agree-- they'd had some damn good fights, in fact-- it was clear that they were absolutely right for each other. She'd be happy to be Allisa's wife for the rest of their lives. It was more likely that she'd merely be Allisa's wife for the rest of *Allisa's* life, and then Callie would live another eight hundred years without her, but she'd long ago accepted that as the consequence of falling in love with her.
Callie's retrospective look at her own heart, and her past relationships, had taken only a few seconds between the shaman's instruction, and the time the words "I do" pass through her lips and reach the ears of Allisa, the shaman and the spectators. Those words could never be taken back. And she'd never want them to be.
Allisa bows her head more to hide the welling tears than to acknowledge the robe as it's presented. "You served The Lady; there is nothing to forgive," she replies formally, favoring him with a smile. She turns her attention to the joining with giddy excitement, barely keeping herself in check to complete the ceremony. At Maylana's instruction she spares a quick glance to Callie, then closes her eyes. Despite her excitement, she does reflect on her decisions up until now, searching out the true root of her desire and love for the vixen beside her. She'd always appreciated Callie's kindness and friendship, but even near the beginning she'd felt something more stirring. Always, no matter the trouble, she always found herself back in Callie's arms and the world was right again, the troubles were just problems to deal with, and together they always could. Hearing Callie's "I do," the dancer smiles broadly, waiting for her own instructions.
"Allisa," Maylana says, "apart from dishonoring The Lady, or committing an act of treason against our noble tribe, you are now and forever a member of the Verlosi Tribe. Declining to marry Callista at this time would not change that. If, however, after your own meditations about whether you truly want this, you find that you concur with your delifi, and wish to enter the sacred bond with her that will forever link your spirits, say, 'I do.'"
Callie, meanwhile, remains standing alongside her lover, confident in her bearing. She's certain enough in the power of their love that the idea of Allisa backing out now doesn't even cross the fox's mind. But nevertheless, her mind is capturing every detail of the moment, so that she can replay it back for the rest of her life.
Allisa has only the briefest moment where the mischevious part of her brain considers any other answer, but it's drowned out by far with the rest of her being. Still, she pauses long enough to truly and plainly ask herself, "Do I want this?" in her mind. Her smile grows with the simple answer ringing back from her heart. She opens her eyes, calm and certain, and says in a soft, clear voice that carries to the back of the crowd, "I do."
Maylana, who has been stern the entire ceremony, finally allows a smile to brighten her face. And it's quite clear that it's a face well-accustomed to smiling. Her entire manner changes. "Then I declare before The Lady and all the gathered witnesses that these women are married. What The Lady has brought together, let no one tear asunder. Now seal your vows with a kiss."
Callie can't help but give a little whoop of excitement as she wraps her arms and tails around Allisa, and gives her a sweet, loving kiss on her lips.
Allisa matches that whoop with a laugh, turning full into the embrace and kissing her wife deeply. She lingers in the kiss, letting all of her love flow though that simple and profound connection.
"And now," Maylana says as Callie and Allisa turn to face their audience, "I present to our honored guests, the Verlosi Tribe's newest married couple. Callie and Allisa Volopa."
"If there's nothing wrong with me, maybe there's something wrong with the universe."
--Dr. Beverly Crusher
Player of Callie Volopa, Viaa, Auric Lightwing, Brian Perano, Erin Tarcata and Aimee Sarasiné