The brief timeline meant Ewan and Storm had to make quick decisions and move twice as fast. That Maeve had given in to Lenika's encouragement to attend the ceremony at Yearling Brook, which required leaving all she knew as true to visit Rhydin, was a major coup. The Baroness was supportive and gave permission to use Yearling Brook manor as the setting for the ceremony, after some necessary chastising of her Master of Arms for such little warning. She also assured Ewan she would be there.

In his return from Yransea, much had been accomplished, but more yet to do. The first day was split even more between his duties to the Tunnelers, the requirements of Yearling Brook, and the errands of preparing for a joining ceremony. At one brief respite from hurried steps, he caught a look at the footprints made crossing a small stream of water in the Tunnels. He examined the soles of his boots and was dismayed to see them so worn. One day, of course, had not done them that much damage, but new boots would be required and soon. Something else to be added to the list. Ewan looked to the dank drippings of the Tunnel ceiling and gave a weary chuckle. Time ticked friendly like with each drip, encouraging him to move on.

He still had to find someone to craft the amulets, and he had thought of Mistress Phen Ilnaren, a close friend of the Baroness. A fortuitous moment at the inn, however, directed him to Sianna's fiance Johnny, also a craftsman. With such opportunity, he made promise to visit the shop and commission the work to be done of the man.

It was with a modicum of bounce to his step that he returned to Storm's home late that night after seeing Juleta at the Marketplace. The commission for Storm's portrait as a gift for her father was a secret one, but he had every confidence in Juleta's talents and ability to perform the request for secrecy in the project.

So, with a satisfied smile and a feeling of accomplishment, Ewan entered Storm's home, called out softly to announce his arrival, and moved to join his beloved in peaceful rest. The next day would have its own bright and dark dealings to tend.

Ewan?s visit to the shop had gone well, and Johnny had immediately taken the vaguely sketched out designs and description of what Ewan wanted from the shop over to his studio. Several hours of consultation with Juliane ensued, her quick fingers drawing and redrawing the intricate engravings that he would work around the edges of the amulets. Ewan had provided the runes ? bird and fish. Eventually they were satisfied with the design, and Johnny began carving it in wax.

It took hours to complete the finely detailed work. The silver film which activated his modifications and enhanced his vision had triggered a headache by the time he was ready to cast the mold in ceramic. He set the wax carvings into the block frames and poured in the liquid clay around them, leaving a small hole at the top. Once the green-ware was set, he took the blocks down the street to the potter who had agreed to let him fire the ceramic.

Fortunately, he had molds already for link chain, and it didn?t take nearly as long to cast the necklaces themselves - platinum, difficult to work with, but not impossible. The modifications on his fingers allowed him to smooth and polish the chains in short order, before he broke for the night. One more day of work and he would have the amulets done, ready to deliver the evening before the ceremony.

((OOC Note: Meant to post this 3 October - sorry!))

The final edge of ribbon was clipped, the cluster of colorful strands dangling from the lute in festive decoration. Sianna set them to waving with a gliss of her fingers, smiling to herself. Nervous butterflies flittered about within her. It had been quite a while since she had played for a wedding and as she offered up a quick blessing for the couple she pleaded with the muses to not be fickle tonight.

A soft woolen cloth wiped down any errant fingertips before the instrument was reverently nestled into its case. It seemed as if everything had been settled. Ewan had been very clear in his requests ? loving, happy, joyous. A chuckle had escaped her at his directions. Had he thought she would dredge up melancholy offerings about unrequited affection? ?Ah well,? she thought, ?the lad is in love, aye? ?Tis like him tae want tae have everything perfect. I can no' fault him for being focussed on th' details.?

The song listed had been crafted, lyrics and notes carefully written out in a clear hand to help assign the proper order to memory. A true performer only used such in a dire emergency. The most important provision had been a set of fresh strings from the music shop. It was an old tradition she had been taught as a young girl, when she had just begun to hone her skills.

?Ye always change them, m?gel, when about tae play for a wedding,? Gran dutifully elaborated, ?sae that only the bonniest mem?ries can be called forth. Yer instrument may ken that all life ?tis no? as merry, but with fresh strings there?ll be none but happy tunes that soar from its heart.?

Sianna had been careful to mind all the old ways, only testing the soundness of the tuning and coaxing a few measures here and there. It was good luck for the first song to be performed amidst the assembled. Snapping out of her reverie, the clasp clicked securely at her urging. Satisfied with what she had accomplished, she turned towards the closet for the next task at hand? deciding on something to wear.

Ewan stood at the study window out to the open area in front of the main manor building. ?It is a good thing Mistress Nyla was here,? he mentioned off hand to Gaerwyn who was struggling to get his son, Gaer?s, tunic neck lacings tied properly. ?Yes, it was. The tables are arranged so perfectly, I do not think there could be any mistake as to where people should gather to observe the vows you and th--Storm make.?

A sharp turn of his head and frown at his cousin, ?Still having trouble spitting out her name? This will make for an interesting evening. Be glad she has such forbearance as to not cast the wind from your sails, Gaerwyn.? He turned from the window and came to assist Gaerwyn by placing his hand on top of Gaer?s head. The boy stilled as if frozen.

?Thank you,? Gaerwyn muttered and finally finished off the tying of the strings. ?Now, off with you. Find your sister and Lenika. Stay near them,? as the boy launched himself out the door Gaerwyn kept calling instructions, ?and no climbing trees or?anything!?

?You do that just so later you can say you warned him,? Ewan gave a wry smile and wondered if he would be caught doing the same some time.

Gaerwyn smiled, ?Oh, I think he probably hears more than he likes to let on.? Gaerwyn stopped and studied his cousin. ?I can?t say I understand it, Ewan, you living here, marrying her that only brings trouble to your door --?

?Not now, Gaerwyn,? Ewan sighed and saw that the ribboned poles and the lanterns they held were placed out in a wide half circle and paired to the tables of food and drink.

?But,? Gaerwyn pressed on and moved to reclaim Ewan?s attention, ?I do wish you happiness and the best for you both. So, in order to help with that, here is some advice. We have the time as it seems the Baroness and Mistress Nyla are still making sure the table flowers and decorations are appropriately placed and not more representative of Yransea than of Storm?s culture.? He glanced to the window and Ewan did the same. ?Well then, do not bring work into the home. If asked, give a brief report of the day and then let it go and immediately ask how her day went.?

Ewan crossed his arms and looked more than mildly amused at this lecture, but did not stop Gaerwn who went on, ?If she presses you for more information, then give it, but never walk in the door ranting and raving about anything that went on in your work. That will only get you a glare and a bowl thrown at your head followed by twenty minutes of ?You don?t know what I go through? and a night on the couch. Of course the next day, you will find out she took out her frustrations with the garden which is infested with bugs on you, but still always learn about her day first. Saves a night full of grief.?

Another look to the window, and Ewan saw the staff and residents of Yearling Brook manor start to mill around. He had no doubt that Sianna would be arriving soon. Something he had learned from Kiema is that musicians always knew precisely when to arrive. She never would explain how they knew, but she always said it with a twinkle in green eyes. ?Anything else?? he asked turning back to Gaerwyn.

?Yes, always just do what she says, particularly for the first year or two. She says go out and fix the fence, just do it. Don?t argue, don?t debate, just go and do it. Eventually women learn to let go of so much control and trust your opinion on household matters, but they won?t for the first year at the very least. Besides,? Gaerwyn had a rueful look to his smile, ?they are usually right, and it just again-?

Ewan completed the sentence for him, ?-avoids a night full of grief. I understand.?

?Well, then that should about settle it. You?ll be gone so much, and so will she, that it?s a wonder you?ll be thought of as joined at all.?

It stung. Ewan felt it deep inside, but did not remark upon the matter. They would be gone from each other a great deal. He might not be there for her when she needs him, and vice versa. Ewan let out a slow breath.

Mistress Nyla had been brought to make sure things ran smoothly, and you could be sure she was doing just that. As she turned, the first thing that caught her eye was the beribboned lute and the lovely lady carrying it. "Oh wonderful, Master Corinsson said he had spoken to a bard," she approached as she corrected, "oh, my apologies, he did say you spoke of yourself as a bardess. I'm afraid we do not make such distinctions where I come from, but I will do my best to remember. Sianna, is it not?"

She motioned for one of the pages to come over, "Bring a glass of water and one of a wine for Mistress Sianna." The page nodded and quick walked his way to a table to tend his duty. "I suppose you will tend to the water first, but some nights can do wicked things to musicians' voices without a bit of wine to clear it. I shall leave that up to you."

Nyla smiled warmly, "I think the ceremony will begin in good time, perhaps another fifteen minutes or so. I hope that will be ample time to warm up. I think this group will settle into listening when you begin, which would be a fine thing just before the ceremony, or else they'll chatter right through it and until morning." This was apparently something of which Mistress Nyla, herself, might be quite accomplished at doing, for she seemed to give Sianna barely a moment to breath much less get in a word.

"Do forgive me, dear, but there are pages about if you need something, just let one know. I see a lantern in threat of toppling." There was a sincere gracious smile, hoping the bardess would forgive the haste in her introduction and assistance as she went to catch the teetering lantern and set it aright.

Lydia visibly perked when Yearling Brook manor was finally visible over the horizon, her smile brightening as she gestured that way. "I think that's it." Think. What a reassuring word that was, eh? But it's not as if she's ever been to Yearling Brook before... if she and Grem were lucky, this particular part of the land wouldn't be littered and cluttered with manor after manor. Arm entwined with one of Grem's, she started walking towards the manor at a somewhat brisk pace, but not enough so to leave him behind. Though she probably couldn't have even if she had tried, since short legs only let her walk so fast.

"I just hope we're not late." She muttered that, expression almost one of embarrassment. Leave it to her to screw up simple instructions on how to get somewhere. A left must have been taken instead of a right.. or maybe she said to go up instead of down? Which begs the question... does the outdoors really have an 'up' or 'down'? That was probably half the problem right there! Sense and cardinal directions were not the green haired elf's friends.

Fabric, on the other hand, got along with her much more. She didn't have enough time to work on a dress from scratch to wear to Ewan and Storm's wedding ceremony, especially since she had been trying to catch up on actual work at The Stitch. She did, however, have time to make some drastic alterations to one of the simpler dresses already created that no one had bought. The end result was a silk dark purple dress in a simple halter style. It was gathered and tied at the waist, the fabrics there an even darker hue of purple that bordered close to black. Sandaled heels matching the color of the dress were a bit delicate in appearance, so as to not look clunky in contrast to the dress. Lydia was proud too, that she had only stumbled in those heels once so far that night. Her hair was just long enough to start wearing in a french twist style, so that was the chosen style for the evening, bangs left loose to give it a less formal feel. Of course that was contrasted by the ivy-like gems that adorned her hair. Maybe fashion wasn't her friend either...

Tables and lanterns came into view as they moved closer to the manor, as well as a few people out and about. It dawned on her then, that she didn't know her way around the grounds. "You know... I'm not entirely sure where exactly we're supposed to be going..." More of that reassurance! Doesn't she just make the most wonderful navigator? Biting her lip, she glanced around a bit. The people about looked busy so she didn't want to interrupt, but she was sure those were guards at the gate. Perhaps they could be of assistance? "I think I see some guards at the gates. They might be able to help us out?"

He had little trouble keeping up with Lydia, long strides easily making up for the fact that he was taking slower steps. The long legs that came with his height did come in handy, at times. He nodded to her words, mismatched eyes roaming the surroundings as they walked. When Lydia had mistepped in her heels, he had nearly suggested that she wear shoes more suited to walking until they arrived, but they had been far enough along to make that a moot point, and she hadn't stumbled again, so it seemed it would have been unnecessary.

For his part, he was wearing a tailored black suit, with a faded rust colored tie. His hair was tamed, albeit with some difficulty and the assistance of a bit of pomade, and slicked back, with the slick wet sheen the product produces. He was even managing to resist the temptation to reach up and mess with it, as it felt odd to be worn like that.

"Could be we're supposed to just mill about and wait for someone to call out 'over here!' or something like that." He shrugged, taking a look around the grounds, then nodded as she took note of the guards. "Hope so. Be a sorry state if they didn't know the place any better than we do, yeah?" He smiled, faintly, and lightly scratched his jawline, free of stubble for once.

Truthfully, she was just a clumsy thing sometimes. Even in sturdy boots she'd stumble and topple at times, but she usually had the good luck of doing that in private when no one was around to see. Or laugh. Most times she was able to pull off feigning some semblance of grace or dignity. Like when she too, resisted the urge to reach up and pat at Grem's hair when she saw it the way it was. That's, what, at least two grace points right there!

Luckily, the guards did know the place better than she and Grem, and redirected them to where everyone else was gathering. Some people looked familiar, even if only vaguely so, but most? Not as much. So she made sure to stick close to Grem.

Sylvia received a smile from the green haired elf when she spotted her, which brightened at her compliment. "Thank you, and yeah, it is." She nodded a touch, about to compliment hers as well before the little one seemed to want her, so she fell quiet, nodding to her words about the staff. "Thanks!" She called that out as she was moving away, then glanced around at the crowd, the staff, then aside to Grem.

"Guess we just wait now."

Erin stood in front of her mirror looking at the image of herself. The dress she was wearing was red, though not too bright, not something to take away from the bride. Just enough to highlight her lips and offset the paleness in her skin. It was strapless, but came up just high enough to hide most of the tattoo on her back. It was an A-line, drifting out at the empire waist to fall just to her knees.

Hair combed and around her shoulders, it was pulled half up, a few curls framing her face. Lips painted red, eyes shadowed in a dark grey-- she reminded herself of the night she danced the tango and it caused her to smile sadly.

Another wedding alone. They were all starting to blend together, but honestly, it didn't sadden her. Not like it should. In hoesty, she somewhat enjoyed her place in the back corner, smiling and focusing all her intentions on the new happiness of her friend.

And so she grabbed her purse and slid from her room and into the great outdoors. It was too much to walk in heels, and she took a coach, the clack of horse hooves the only announcement of her arrival at Yearling Brook.

----

When Erin walked up the path, she followed the small stream in and out of people and staff and guards and whatever else. She didn't mind getting lost, at least a little bit, on her way to the ceremony, as it turned out the land was quite beautiful.

Watching the fall overtake the landscape, she ambled up to the party, taking up a spot not far from Lydia and Grem, but not yet speaking. She figured she could just join their little party without much fanfare. That was her theme for the day anyway-- calm, quiet and reflective.