Welcome to Gaia! ::

Option 1: As you brave your way through the arch, a blinding light catches your eye, and you squeeze them shut for just a moment.

When you open them once again, your skin is shimmering, touched by frost and glistening with what rings in your mind as ‘winter’s blessing’ You feel neither warm or cold, a perfect balance of temperature touches you, where you cannot tell where the air ends and your skin begins. It’s strange and unsettling, but you do not feel unsafe.

A pair of voices ring out at the same time within your head. “You’re just in time, Welcome!” Though you look around, you find no one.

Option 2: Rather than immediately go through this gate, you peek around behind it. From the opposite side, it seems rather normal. No fogged lights, no breeze, it’s as if you’re looking through an open window.

You choose to walk through it from behind, just out of curiosity, then suddenly find yourself being dragged backwards into the fogged gateway, landing hard in a puff of snow. It leaves you thoroughly soaked with melted snow clinging to you, and quickly feel yourself shivering, but otherwise unharmed. You hear a soft voice, like a whisper in your ear.

“Better tread more carefully. You nearly came in the wrong way!” Though you look around, you find no one.

Option 3: While it feels as if the arch is calling you forward, beckoning you to enter through it, you refuse. You’ve had enough of these nightly shenanigans that seemed to happen during the holidays.

As you turn away and start going back the way you came, you feel something wrap around your arms and legs, dragging you backwards.

“Don’t be rude. You’ll be late for the ceremony.” You struggle against what seems to be red ribbons, and end up tossed through the Arch. Luckily, you land only somewhat hard on a cleared path, but your body seems to be quickly heating up. Even with all the snow surrounding you, you begin to sweat. Any snow that might have surrounded you before melts away, leaving you in a small circle of steam.

You look around to see if you can find that voice that yelled at you, or any evidence of the ribbons, but you find no one.

Option 1: Despite the ominous feeling of being in this strange place, you do not feel unwelcome… And despite that your entrance may not have been so peaceful, you head forward. If you were hot or cold earlier, you began to even out to that same, blissful balance between the air and your skin.

Every step seems to be in time with a bell chime, and somewhere along the line you look down to find that your clothing has changed. Powered or no, your outfit reflects something far more formal, and in your grasp you find a small coin: an invitation token. It appears out of nowhere, but you feel very comfortable with your new appearance. It feels… Natural.

Right.

Simply made for you. A pleased sound could be heard from the woods around you as you go about your way.

Option 2: Whatever this place was, or is, you just don’t wish to be here. You decide to head back through the gate from which you came.

Only… It’s not there. Sometime during the brief distraction from the flowers and the path and the constant ringing, you took your eyes off the arch, and it vanished from sight.

Whether you like it or not, you’re stuck here.

And so, you head forward. Nothing changes, after all, you didn’t really want to be here in the first place, so your state remains the same as before.

Oh well, you don’t feel like you’re in any more danger, so you keep heading towards the cathedral.

Option 3: As pretty as the pathway is, your eyes wander to the surrounding woods. It seems the snow ends exactly where the garlands lie, and stepping under them to the snow beyond hits you with immense cold.

So cold, you fall forward. So frigid that you fall to your knees, sinking deeper into the snowbank that seems endless.

Further and further you slip, the surrounding winds blurring your vision, covering you in sheet upon sheet of whipping ice and sleet, until a pair of red ribbons wrap snugly around your waist, and hoist you free from the snow.

It takes a moment, but eventually you are sat down gently on your feet. As long as you don’t struggle, the ribbons brush off the snowflakes that cling to you, before fading away.

You are warm, dry, and seem to be clean as well, though your clothes remain the same. Now that you’ve learned from your mistakes, you head towards the cathedral.

Option 1: He nods, scratching something on his list, before offering you a ranunculus bloom, bright white like the fallen snow all around, and kissed by bluish frost. You take it, and immediately your hands feel freezing cold. The touch of it stings your palms, and though you try to shake it off, it remains. The man seems unconcerned, and ushers you inside those doors.

It’s clear that to the right are a bunch of other shadowy figures, all with the same white flower as you. The guests here seem to not mind your presence, and there’s a seat right at the end of the last row for you. You take your seat, then the chill in your hands slowly eases into a comfortable warmth.

Those bells begin to ring again, and soon enough, all heads turn towards the doors behind you.

Option 2: He nods, scratching something on his list, before offering you a ranunculus bloom, the colors of an autumn sunset, the edges of it seemingly scorched by flames. You take it, and immediately your hands feel as if they are being burned by fire. The touch of it feels hotter and hotter, and yet you do not burn, your flesh does not sear, and you cannot drop it.. The man seems unconcerned, and ushers you inside those doors.

It’s clear that to the right are a bunch of other shadowy figures, all with the same reddish flower as you. The guests here seem to not mind your presence, and there’s a seat right at the end of the last row for you. You take your seat, then the burning sensation in your hands dull down into the cool feeling of being doused in water.

Those bells begin to ring again, and soon enough, all heads turn towards the doors behind you.

Option 3: At first he doesn’t react, as if he wasn’t quite paying attention. And then you repeat yourself, and he finally looks up from his list.

He blinks once. Then again, confused eyes looking up at his hat, then down at you in quiet contemplation.

“... You are serious.” The man seems almost suddenly flustered at the very implication that someone was here for someone other than the flames or the ice.

Someone was here for him, or rather, his hat, which was entirely part of him. Not really, but certainly something he treasured.

After a moment, he manages to break his gaze, cheeks reddened, and simply nods.

“You may have the hat later, if you so choose. But… Ahem. For now, you must enter in. I’ll put you down as ‘honored guest’. Please, come this way.” The large door opens behind you, and he comes from around his pedestal, gently placing a hand on your shoulders and guiding you inside. The other ‘guests’, shadowy figures, either holding a ranunculus bloom of red or white turn to see you, but then go about their own chatter as the officiator sits you down near the front. There are others here who bear no bloom, but they do not mind you. In fact, a basket gets passed to you after they seem to accept you, and from it you take a ranunculus bloom of any color of your choosing.

“Stay here, I will see you soon enough.” The officiator whispers softly to you, before heading back to the entrance, leaving you to sit there on your own for a short time.

Those bells begin to ring again, and soon enough, all heads turn towards the doors behind you.

Option 1: The wedding is beautiful. Every moment is glorious and you dance and sing and enjoy every single moment of it.

After the Officiant says that they are wed, the two beautiful beings snap their fingers. All the guests stand up, and the pews disappear, only to reveal beautifully decorated tables, and a giant feast on a table that stretches all the way to the door.

And you, decide to indulge.

The food is glorious, the dancing, singing, merriment, all of it is a spectacular display that your imagination could hardly come up with on your own. Whatever tales that tell you not to give into such suspicious activities escapes you, and you allow yourself to be swept away by everything.

But as with all good times, it must end. The party winds down after hours and hours of entertainment, and the couple finally says their goodbyes to all of their guests. They approach you specifically, and bow, thanking you for coming, and send you on your way.

You walk in a daze back down the cleared pathway where, right over the horizon, you see the sun begin to rise. And there it is, the arch once again, glowing before you.

Option 2: You were forced to this event, and you know it. No amount of laughter and dancing can make you feel comfortable.

And no one forces you to play along either. Even after the Officiant says that they are wed, the two beautiful beings snap their fingers and the feast begins, you remain there, disinterested.

A kindly butler who had been going around checking on the guests comes up to you and offers to walk you back to the exit of this party, if you so choose.

And accepting, he leads you all the way back to that arch from which you came.

“I apologize that this was not to your liking, but we truly, and deeply appreciate your decision to stay as long as you did. Please, take this token to mark our meeting, and… Perhaps next time, we can host something far more to your liking.” while he snaps his own fingers, and seems satisfied, you feel no different.

In the next instant he is gone, leaving you alone before the arch.

Option 3: The moment the ceremony is over, and all of the figures seem distracted with showering the couple in petals, you bolt out of the cathedral!

A guard tries to stop you, scolding you for your disrespect, but you push past them, and you run and run and run. Past the garlands and the lanterns. Slipping and sliding on patches of ice on your way back to the arc that seems to have started glowing again. There is a sad sound, a whine in the back of your head as you come into range of the arch.

“It’s a shame to see you go so soon… Thanks for coming anyway.”