It's A Beautiful Night...[Open]

[10billionpercent]

Who: Every single passenger is invited.
Where: Garden Carriage
When: Kazoo 24
What: Senku and Gen are getting married! There's free cake!
Warnings: There's a potential for some real sap in here.


The Garden Carriage has been decked out with the repurposed origami stars that had been folded for previous parties Gen has thrown, strung up among the statues. But otherwise, the garden is otherwise undecorated - apparently, they just believed the beauty of the scenery worked on its own.

Carefully on a side path in the carriage was a table dragged in from elsewhere so they could put food and cake out to enjoy. The usual benches were untouched for people to sit and eat or rest as needed.

They were using Senku's laptop to play something softly in the background here - something upbeat people could dance to to if they really liked. Earth denizens may or may not recognize the songs playing from the memory stick, but many of them are from one songstress Lillian Weinberg.

It's a pretty casual atmosphere, compared to previous weddings on the train - much more low-key, where people could more easily chat and mingle.

Down the train, the dressing carriage has been opened in case people want to dress up, they will find any manner of blue clothing, in honour of the colours of the people who live in Ishigami Village.

(( ooc: please feel free to engage in the TLs below, or start your own! a great time to get more points for new CR ... ))

Comments

[its_dad_sanzo]

"Give some thought to priests getting married?" Koumyou isn't being intentionally dense, here. He just literally doesn't see where Devero is going with this. The very idea of being married, himself, hasn't even occurred to him as a possibility -- not even to discard!

"I suppose I'm more than high-enough ranked to do something about allowing it..." No one outranks him in Buddhism but the very Gods themselves, after all. But it's not like he gets to make the rules, or meat, sake, and tobacco probably wouldn't be forbidden.

This is what Devero means, right? Letting other priests -- pious ones, who care about the rules more than he does -- get married if they want to?

[subcircuits]

Devero doesn't think Koumyou's being dense. He thinks he's being evasive. And this family business is so fraught to Devero that he doesn't pursue it with his more usual bluntness. Instead he just nods, murmuring a quiet, "If you were still home, anyway," and then focuses in on their dancing.

He doesn't need to marry Koumyou to love him. He doesn't need a ceremony to commit or be committed to.

...He's just romantic enough that now that it's occurred to him, he wants one. That's all.

[its_dad_sanzo]

Koumyou notices the quietness, how Devero's gone from shy to subdued. But he doesn't understand the reason, so he tries--

"I've never heard of any priests wanting it, but maybe that's just because of my rank?"

It's not like people come to him with such worldly matters.

(Life might be more interesting if they did.)

"If I was still alive, I could talk to the Three Aspects about it. I can't make new rules myself, but I can petition the Gods. If it's... even a thing anyone cares about."

Which he's still not sure about.

"Is it... something you're concerned about on their behalf?" Maybe that's why Devero's mood seems to have dropped? Perhaps he just wants everyone to have the option, if they want it?

[subcircuits]

Oh Koumyou. Devero's heart swells with love for the man in his arms as Koumyou picks up on his disquiet and tries to relieve it. He may have just decided to leave the issue be but he finds now that he can't, not since Koumyou's chosen to pursue.

"I'm concerned about it on your behalf," he murmurs, looking down at their feet instead of Koumyou's face. His voice is quiet and gets quieter as he adds, "And... and mine."

[its_dad_sanzo]

"O-oh."

Give Koumyou a moment, here. That came entirely out of left field from the priest's perspective, and anyone who looks at him right now is going to be treated with some extremely dumbfounded surprise on his face.

It lasts for several long seconds, before he looks away as well, choosing to gaze at a statue they're dancing near.

"I've never considered... no. Not once. Because I'm not... you shouldn't... I'm not someone anyone should..." he clears his throat, "you could do much better than this sad old man, Devero. For the-- for the long term, like that? F-for life...?"

It's one thing to fool around with Koumyou like he has been, to even get so romantically entangled, but... there's still a degree of impermanence to it all, isn't there? With Koumyou's long-held assumption that Devero will indeed get tired of him, eventually. Find someone younger and hotter and more knowledgeable about things that are actually relevant to him...

It's something else entirely to consider marrying the priest. Who would want to commit to Koumyou Sanzo like that? No one who's thinking clearly, certainly--!

So he blurts out, a little louder than he'd meant to, "--Have you met me?"

[subcircuits]

At least Koumyou looks only dumbfounded, and not-- upset, or insulted, or something that might imply that his problem is with Devero asking. Devero's perceptive enough to pick up on the fact that it's being asked at all, even so indirectly, that's thrown Koumyou for a loop.

"I have," he says simply, looking up at the priest. "And I love you, every part of you I've seen. Can you blame me for wanting to keep you all to myself?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

"I... I feel the same way about you," Koumyou says softly, still looking over at the statue, "but I'm... I'm a disaster, an idiot, I'm no good at anything besides killing, and I make enemies every time I open my mouth..."

He does, finally, chance a glance at Devero, expression stricken.

"You deserve someone who won't drag you down. You deserve the world, not the cold and distant moon."

[subcircuits]

When he sees that expression on Koumyou's face, Devero stops dead on the dance floor. Clasping both of the priest's hands in his, he pulls him off to the side.

"I don't care what I deserve," he says, squeezing Koumyou's hands if he's still got them, and trying to catch them again if he doesn't. "I only care about what I want, and that's you. No matter what you think about yourself!"

[its_dad_sanzo]

He's got them, and Koumyou steps in to bury his face in Dev's shoulder. Not to cry, just to be that much closer, and to hide his expression from the rest of the crowded garden car.

"I just don't want you to regret it," he says into Devero's coat, muffled and quiet. "Or regret me. Or... or resent me."

If he finds someone better, and he's tied himself to this sad old man... what a shame that would be. What a damn shame.

[subcircuits]

"Then we don't have to," he says, leaning his cheek against Koumyou's hair. He's the one to unclasp their hands, so he can wrap his arms around him and hold him close. "We don't have to do anything unless we both want to.

"But I can't imagine ever regretting or resenting you," he adds in a whisper, for his Sanzo's ears alone. "No matter what happens between us."

[its_dad_sanzo]

Damnit, now there's tears. Hidden against Devero's shoulder, of course, and Koumyou's hands come up between them to grip that fancy coat of his.

"You're so unspeakably sweet," the priest murmurs into his shoulder. "I... I want to."

Terrifying as it is to admit, like it could be snatched away. Either by Devero changing his mind, or simply by fate.

"But only if you're really, really, really sure. I don't know if I could handle it otherwise," Koumyou pries his face from Dev's coat to look up at him, tear-smeared cheeks and all. "If you found someone else, I don't want to be in the way! But if we did that... I don't know if I could make myself step out of the way, after."

[subcircuits]

Seeing that look on his face, Devero wants to insist that he's sure right then and there. He is sure, so sure about Koumyou, so ready to commit.

But he somehow manages to keep himself from blurting it out, allowing the priest to continue-- and boy, is he immediately very glad he didn't say anything. See, on his world marriage is both simple (it's a commitment that at least two consenting adults make to join their lives together) and complex (at least two consenting adults).

Until Koumyou says that, Devero had assumed-- in the thoughtless way that someone doesn't even think about something they take for granted-- that if he did find someone else who came to mean this much to him, he would find a way to love and commit to that person and Koumyou.

But it sounds like to Koumyou, it would be a matter of or, instead. And Devero's not quite sure what to do with that.

Well, he doesn't need to figure it out right now, nor does he want to. Instead, he does what he does want to do: he lifts his hands to cradle Koumyou's face, his lips quirked in a small, tender smile. "Then I'll think about it," he says, "and I'll only ask you when I'm really, really, really sure. Sound good?"

[its_dad_sanzo]

Koumyou manages a small, watery smile up at Devero in return, and lifts a hand to wipe at his face -- around Dev's hands -- with a sleeve. It won't do to be seen by too many people like that.

"Y-yes, thank you," even if the very idea of being asked is still blowing his mind a little. At least now Devero's going to give it some real thought and consideration before -- if -- he does something like that.

With Koumyou Sanzo, of all people--!

But if Devero says he'll think about it and make sure he's really really really sure, Koumyou believes that he will.

So his smile gets a little stronger, and he asks, "Shall we go back to the dance?"

[subcircuits]

Devero sweeps his thumbs over Koumyou's cheeks once, then releases him and steps back to give him just a little bit of space. To finish mopping up, to breathe-- "I'd love to, if you're up for it," he says. "But if you want to do something else, just say so."

--Whatever he needs.

[its_dad_sanzo]

Koumyou got overwhelmed here, but it's not like he's having a meltdown at least.

But he does finish up the mop-up into the sleeve of his borrowed blue robe, putting himself back to rights. And then he holds out a hand to Devero with another smile, "Dancing it is, then!"

[subcircuits]

With a nod and smile, Devero takes that hand and leads Koumyou back out onto the dance. For now, it's enough to just enjoy this wedding.

Talk of any further wedding can wait.