Welcome to Gaia! ::

“I waaaaant to…help,” Ataya insisted from half-curl, half-flopped position on the sheets of the guest bedroom in his uncles’ house. At three years old, the process of watching his father, uncle, and grand-uncle prepare said uncle for — well, something of apparent importance — was boring, and he missed his sister’s company. “Dada, I want—”

“Shhh,” Detraeus grunted, using his tail casually to nudge his toddler son back closer towards the center of the mattress when he strayed too close to its edge. “Perhaps in a moment.” He squinted down at the cloth in his hands and then up to Casseth. “Why must you wear anything other than leather and furs? I am not clear on how…” He stretched the piece out, narrowing his eyes further at what was in his mind a fairly extreme excess of fine cloth and embroidery. “What purpose does it serve to purchase such things if you will only wear them once?”

“Can I wear i—”

“No.”

Ataya flopped onto his back, scowling at the ceiling and splaying his toes. This was so boring.


•••


Meanwhile, in the main bedroom of the house, Lithian shifted his weight, flushing as he watched the progressing changes in his reflection as Niyol Doryu worked her fingers through his hair.

Outside, the sun was edging closer towards the horizon, but they had another solid two hours or so before it reached it, leaving time for final preparations and arrangements before the procession moved to the beach and words were exchanged for the official commencement of the ceremony. Dovaa mating traditions typically dictated an exchanging of words either at dawn or dusk, at a ‘balance between the worlds’ of night and day. Those who planned for extravagant parties, a grand showing of people and expensive festivities often arranged for dawn ceremonies, leaving the full room of the day for such events to play out before the ‘closing’ of the ceremony which was always, traditionally, marked with a consummation of the mating vows in the privacy of the pair’s bedchamber. Conversely, those who planned for a smaller, more private ceremony often chose dusk occasions, which — among other things — left less time for the new couple to wait for said final rite of passage.

“You’ve so much hair…” Niyol said, breaking the silence as she worked through another small braid. “It’s beautiful. It seems an age and a half since this was done for me…”

The nervous, bubbling, giddy warmth in Lithian’s chest rose up anew, catching in his throat and rising to his cheeks. “I—thank you…I am ever grateful that you would do this for me…” ‘In absence of my own mother…’ went unspoken, but Lithian knew the words did not need voice. He was grateful — to Ara herself as well as her mother, and to Detraeus, Kilian, and all the family that was showing up, even if it was not so many, yet, as he might have hoped. “It…means everything to me,” he murmured, “to have so many here…” His gaze flicked to Araceli as he said it, expression warming.

Detraeus snorted, opening his mouth to assure Casseth that he would ruin nothing — but then, others were entering the room, and he settled for catching Ataya before he crawled off the edge of the bed instead. With the assistance of Kilian and Rhett, Casseth was dressed and prepared, rehearsed once more the vows to be recited, and started out.

By the time their party was stepping out onto the beach, a small procession of others was already there, waiting: Vallarah, Kilian’s mate; Syrikk, Lithian’s brother who had made it along with his eldest brother, Daraka, and his youngest sister, Iwana. A priest from the Taliuma church in which Lithian often went to attend and pray was present to lead the proceedings. Both of Lithian’s parents, Ahtti’sha and Nevhin Bhardvaris, were notably absent, but the gold gilt of approaching sunset was bright on the light surf, and their window of opportunity for arrival was winnowing rapidly towards a close.

The back doors of house opened again, admitting out Niyol Doryu followed by Araceli with Akara in tow, and finally: Lithian.

Small, careful braids draped from each of his temples and back, feeding into a looser, upraised coil that held much of his hair pinned and fastened up, off his shoulders and neck. In keeping with his clan, blue, white, and silver made up the bulk of his traditional garb, all of it silk, and lightweight, with extended sleeves and a cloak which hung in a modest train behind him. The color of his intended was reflected instead at his collar: in a collection of rich, polished earthstones, weighting the clasp of his cloak and rooting the fastenings. He swallowed, throat alive in its own right with his pulse as he made his way down the steps of their back porch and onto the sand, towards where the rest awaited them. His gaze, though, wanted mostly to rest in only one location.

‘Casseth…’ The name rest on the tip of his tongue, but he held it in check, gracing his intended with a bright, beaming smile instead before moving into place as the priest gestured where they ought to stand.

Lithian flushed, the eagerness in his gut swelling at Casseth’s smile, and as they arranged at the edge of the beach as instructed ‘where the sea met the shore’ in tandem with the meeting of their own two elements, he reached out, twining their fingers. ‘I love you,’ he ‘said,’ mouthing the words while the priest prepared for the opening phrases.

A ripple of commotion in the small crowd cut him off.

“Mamaaa…” Ataya tugged at his mother’s leg, “…who is that…”

Lithian blinked, fingers still entwined by eyes leaving Cas for the first time to glance down the beach towards the source of the stares: a man, on hastarback, approaching up their beach towards the ceremony. For a brief instant, Lithian’s gut knotted — fear, anxiety, concern, confusion, defensiveness — and a great many other things meshing together as questions swarmed his mind alongside a string of potential possibilities.

Then, he recognized him. And his breath left him in a rush along with a single word, quiet as a breeze:

“Father…”

Lithian’s fingers, unbeknownst even to him, gripped Casseth’s tighter, a sting gathering at the corners of his eyes as his throat clenched, but he refused to move. Eventually, Nevhin Bhardvaris dismounted, his attention locked on Lithian, but he joined their humble crowd without a word, moving in beside his other sons and daughter to watch without a spectacle. Lithian released another shuddered exhale and turned his attention back to Casseth, silently nodding their priest to begin. He did.

“Here before the wise counsel of the gods above, the spirits below, and the loving eyes of those held most dear to they paired before us…”

Lithian listened only with half of his mind, more of his attention focussed on the grip of Casseth’s fingers, the magnitude of this moment, the heat of Cas’ skin against his and the subtle push-pull of the current and great expanse of the ocean at their feet and endlessly out beyond that. When it came time for their personal part in the words, Lithian felt almost as though he were listening to himself speak, his lips and tongue moving despite the rush and swell of his mind.

“In the presence of my god, my family, and all those who choose to bear witness: I, Lithian, do on this day take Casseth Fedele as my mate, my lover, my friend, and my counsel. I entrust unto him my health, my heart, my love, and my fortune and take into my responsibility his own in kind…”

At the conclusion of Lithian’s, Casseth responded in turn, mirroring his words in most part before, as the bottom lip of the sun dipped beneath the horizon, they began trading phrases:

“Entreat me not to leave you,” Lithian said, “…or to return from following after you…”

“For wherever you go,” Casseth answered, “I will go, and where you stay, I will stay.”

“Your people will be my people,” they said in unison, “and your gods will be my gods. And before this supreme council we pray: guide our hearts and our spirits as one that there will be no end, only this beginning, from this day, until the end of days.”

“Present your hands,” the priest instructed. Taking Lithian’s left wrist and Casseth’s right when offered, he lifted a simple white cord of rope, twining it several times and fastening a complex — but not impossible — knot to bind them before holding it up. “Witness: Casseth and Lithian Fedele, mates and husbands, bound before the eyes of the gods and loving counsel. May the fates smile ever on you.” He took a step back, making a brief, permissive gesture.

Lithian beamed, the ocean rushing up in an eager swell as he darted in, catching at the nape of Casseth’s neck with his free hand and tugging him into full, unabashed kiss. “I love you…”

Lithian flushed, a brief swell of anxiety quickly dwarfed by the affirmative as he nodded: “Yes, I—yes.” He swallowed, ever grateful for Casseth’s grip in support as they started forward.

Hugs and congratulations amassed. Before they made it but a few steps across the sand, Lithian found himself in Ara’s embrace, wrapped in smiles and well wishes. Detraeus, while less vocal and physical gave a pat for good measure and something that almost resembled a hug to Casseth. Kilian and Vallarah made their way over next, and Lithian found himself on the receiving end of a tight, all-encompassing hug from the older oblivionite. Squeezing his eyes shut and biting back the stinging rush of relief, gratitude, and private hurt at the thought much of his own side of the family had not been present, Lithian returned the gesture, clinging to the hug and thanking him for his presence.

Despite the comparative smallness of the crowd, it seemed they were awash in it for some time before they made it all the way back to where Lithian finally stood, side by side with his mate in front of his father. He dipped his eyes.

“Lord Bhardvaris, I—”

Arms around him, again, startled Lithian this time, and he blinked, but barely had the opportunity to open his mouth before his father leaned back again, catching his chin in his palm, expression wreathed with emotion.

“I am so proud of you on this day, Lithian,” he said. “You are braver, and bolder, here now than I ever was in my life to date. Know that. You, and your mate…it honors me to stand before you and see you gown so.”

Lithian felt his breath shake. He opened his mouth, failed to speak, and shut it, swallowing in an attempt to gather his voice. His second attempt too, though, failed, and instead, his eyes stung, brimming despite his best efforts. When he did manage a word, it was hoarse and barely audible.

“Father…”

Nevhin shut his eyes, leaning forward and touching his forehead briefly to his son’s before squeezing his hand and lifting it to kiss his knuckles. “You grow taller every time I see you…” he said, and Lithian gave a half-choked laugh in response, a smile edging up at the corners of his lips as his father released his hand and turned to Casseth. “And you…” He studied him a long moment before dipping into a neat bow and holding out a hand. “It is a privilege to finally meet the man champion enough for my son to have found worthy of his heart.”

Lithian flushed, relief sweeping him at Casseth’s reaction. He knew Casseth had been angry — furious, even — at the reaction his parents had had when he brought news of his relationship before them on the Plane, and he was well aware that part of that defensiveness almost surely lingered. His own hurt still lingered, after all, and to no small extent. But seeing his father show up and to receive his words of acceptance, even if they did not come with a complete mend to the damage done, still warmed Lithian beyond words, and he wanted for that feeling to pass between his father and his new mate also. Thus, to see them not only civil, but respectful and even friendly set his concerns at ease, and he leaned a fraction of his weight against Casseth, dipping over to press a kiss to his shoulder in silent thanks.

More, smaller conversations were had, but soon, the full procession was moving in to where an ample swath of space had been cleared in the house for all comers to partake in the evening meal: their first meal as a mated couple. Having their hands bound did of course make things…interesting on several occasions, but that was part of the spirit behind the complication — encouraging the newly paired couple to work as a team in their new life together — and though Casseth showed initial uncertainty with the situation, Lithian did his best to make the process as light and engaging as possible, slipping brief, stolen kisses into the mix to ease his mate’s concerns and smiling brightly as he worked to make their eating process a team effort. By the end, he was fairly certain he succeeded.

As the evening wore down and twilight faded into early night, guests all finishing and dinner coming to a close, evidence of the proceedings was cleared — for the most part — and goodbyes were said, all well aware that the subjects of the ceremony were more than ready to progress into the ‘final’ portion of the festivities. After saying his final farewells of the evening to his father and siblings and bidding the rest of their guests goodnight as they started off down the beach towards their own lodgings, Lithian felt a strange comingling of giddy, overwhelming eagerness, and a strange sensation that he had not experienced for many years in relation to anticipation of a night in bed with Casseth: nervousness.

As he stepped back from the threshold, though, and closed their front door, turning to face his lover-turned-mate, Lithian did indeed feel it, and he flushed, lower lip disappearing briefly between his teeth before he released it and leaned forward, catching Casseth in a soft, lingering kiss. “Perhaps we should…begin by working on unfastening this?”

As his back pressed to the wood of their door, a shudder coursed through Lithian, his own wings twitching and stretching, and he shut his eyes, hips arching up into the press with a soft whine of encouragement. “Casseth…” At Cas’ push, he parted his lips, opening himself to the kiss and returning it with vigor. “Please…”

He reached up, utilizing his spare hand to fumble with the clasp of Casseth’s cloak ‘til the fastening clicked and fell loose. As the cloth slipped from Cas’ shoulders and sank to pool at their feet, Lithian drew his hand down, down Cas’ front to his waist and then back, hand resting at the intersection of the top of Cas’ tail and his lower back. He shifted, skirting his fingers down the top rise of said tail.

“We…should—ah…there’s a…bed in this house…”

Heat crawled up Lithian’s skin, chasing the lines of Casseth’s touch like ripples in water and fanning out just as surely. As Cas’ fingers gradually revealed more of him, he leaned into the contact, breath catching fast in his throat and lashes dipping as though weighted, and when Casseth posed the question, he nodded immediately.

“Nnh…yes.” Lithian pushed forward. Despite his great want for things to progress, he wanted, too, to savor this moment and every one in between. Thus, before entertaining the request, he layered himself over Cas, pinning him back to the bed and catching him in another, lingering kiss as he threaded their fingers together. There, though, he paused. “Casseth…I’ve thought much about something and I want to ask it of you.” Lithian hesitated, opened his eyes and hold himself carefully aloft over his mate. “When I travel to the Celestial Plane…to present myself before Lord Ysaride and request progression to the title of master in my art…I want you to come with me. You’re at least as skilled as I,” he hastened to add, without giving Casseth a chance to object. “You’re as ready as I am to progress, you have the power, you have travelled and proven yourself in every way you could need, and you cannot return to Verano…not after the way he received your father…”

Lithian faltered again, nipping briefly at his lower lip before touching his forehead to Cas’, leaning in, and kissing him once before shifting to sit the both of them up and begin work at the knot.

“Nothing would honor me more than to stand before Lord Ysaride, as a master in my own right, with my mate at my side,” he said, voice quiet while his fingers plucked at the pliable white twine that bound them, carefully edging it looser.

“Exceptions have been made in the past,” Lithian murmured, frowning.

It would be a significant obstacle, but recognition had been given on certain, special occasions to those hybrids of dovaa blood who proved themselves to be well beyond the ranks of ‘normal’ and the masses.

“It is not every hybrid who is ready to progress to master and has endured the trials you have…” Lithian said, focussing for a moment on the knot as he considered his words before speaking again. “You have proven yourself as strong and capable, worthy not only of the title of master but also of the recognition of what dovaa blood you do bear. You bring honor to it and those people who share it. I will bring the issue forward beforehand…get you clearance, and a pass from Lord Ysaride himself if I have to. I do not wish present myself before him and honor his people if he cannot also recognize you, my mate…”

When, finally, the binds of the knot came loose, Lithian flushed as he ushered them off to the mattress at their side and turned his gaze to Casseth. Situating his weight, he tipped his head in, and kissed: lips, jawline, throat, shoulder. His fingers worked in quick, deft motions over the fastenings of Casseth’s top to bare his skin as he went, but upon reaching Cas’ shoulder, Lithian lingered, notched against his lover’s skin with his eyes shut.

“I want you, Casseth,” Lithian murmured. “Here, now, and always…I have no desire to travel anywhere that you cannot follow.”