Welcome to Gaia! ::

The moment she approached, he wiped his nose on his handkerchief before stuffing it back in his pocket and hauled himself unsteadily to his feet, "Of course! That's what I'm here for, right? Ahahaahaha- ah..." His brows furrowed and he sniffed, shaking the sneeze off.

"You look... amazingly beautiful by the way," He smiled meekly, double checking his tuning as he glanced down the row to Robert waiting. "You two make a wonderful couple. I hope he takes care of you." He shifted, finding a few of the notes to review the chord progression he would need. "Petra... um. Since um. Well, your family isn't exactly *here* and... I know Reine would probably do it if she was here but... since she's on Mission and.... and as your Zeta brother... it'd be my honor to.... to give you away," He smiled softly, but didn't meet her eye.

Jerry smiled softly as he met her eyes for a moment. He straightened proudly as he began to play, the song starting slowly, but picking up with every familiar note, and let her lead him down while he did so. It was time. And he was proud to be there for them. His new family. Their new family.

And she did look beautiful.

Jordan had walked Madison and Ennèa through the portal and around the barn, and found their seats for them - right next to one another, with nametags in crayon (he smiled wider at that) - and then made his way up to stand off to the side next to Robert, taking up his position as best man with a bright, genuinely happy smile and a sense of pride. "I'm here," he replied quietly when Robert asked, then quieted.

Petra looked like something out of a fairytale; Robert looked like he was going to cry with sheer happiness. It was a good day.

Killzone took his time to reach a point in his meditations where he could truly impart some ******** bliss on the two hunters. Sternly nodding at nothing in particular, he took a deep breath and stared ahead, into the far off horizon that held the many possible futures of the bride and groom. Most of them were tragic. All of them could be considered bleak. But it was the moments like this that held both the hope and strength to weather out those possibilities, and maybe even build something new beyond them.

"Today we are gathered here," his voice was powerful, but for once it was smooth instead of startling, "...to pay witness to a union. Perhaps we may become the happier for their gain. Perhaps we may leave the wiser for their commitment. Perhaps our hearts will be the gentler for their love. But let no man or woman leave unchanged for what is seen here today."

The hunter turned to Robert, who he tossed a small handful of salt at, and then to Petra, where the action was repeated. Solemnly he intoned, "Robert Morris and Petra Walker, step forward and leave those two individuals behind." In his other hand he held out a fist sized crystal between them, "Leave behind who and what you were, and place your hands upon the crystal." When they came into contact with it, the two would find the clarity of their minds heightened, along with an odd sense of minty freshness. "You come to each other without name. You come to each other cleansed of all crimes. Of every wrong doing. No harsh words have passed between you. No resentment and no regret lingers in your hearts."

He studied both of their faces in turn, taking his time. There was intensity in his gaze, but no judgement was passed. Finally he continued, "If you cannot accept this, turn away. Step back into the lives of the individuals you once were."

The song Jerry played was perfect. One of her favorites, actually -- Pachelbel's canon in D. And on the acoustic guitar, it was just beautiful. For a moment, everything was perfect. There were no monsters or whispering shadows, no fighting for their lives, no fear every minute she wasn't with him that he might never come back. Robert took off the blindfold, and she felt a little warmth spread from the center of her chest, a spark of something bright that made her breath hitch just slightly. Grinning like the idiot he was, she couldn't keep the warm smile from spreading across her lips, nor did she want to -- even as his own fell into a gaping stare, she felt her cheeks color a little, turning her eyes down almost shyly. It was only when she looked up at him from beneath her lashes that she realized he was trying to hold back tears, brushing at them with large hands no one would have ever expected to be used for something so sentimental. Slipping her arm out from Jerry's, Petra reached for his hands, meeting the outstretched ones halfway with her own, her own delicate fingers sliding gently over his palms.

"Don't cry," she breathed under her breath, pressing close to him again.

They were so warm. The feeling of Robert's fingers closing around hers renewed that little flutter in her chest, her eyes lowering again to watch them envelope hers. Lacing her fingers with his, she couldn't help think how much larger they were, and how much she loved the feeling of his skin against her fingertips.

Killzone had started talking, but Petra barely heard him despite how powerful his voice was. She was only vaguely aware of the smooth cadence of his tone, preaching of love and happiness, but it didn't matter to her what he was saying -- she could have felt no more love or happiness if she had tried. Her eyes had not left Robert's ruby ones, watching him with a smile that rose and fell whenever she thought of something particularly sweet or funny, or relived a memory. Their first date. Their first fight. The island candidate challenges and the door. The moment he told her they would never have children. The Christmas ball. Robert's crayon name-tags. When the time came for them to touch the crystal, she found herself unwilling to unlace her fingers from his, so she lifted both their hands, resting her palm on the top of the crystal, letting it rest between them.

"I could never..." she replied absently under her breath. She had been replying to Killzone, but her midnight eyes still never left her soon-to-be-husband's, clearly talking only to him.

Nodding solemnly, the large man took a step back from the couple, "May we have the rings, please?" He took one from Jordan and held it up, "Marriage is more than an affirmation of affection, more than simply saying you want to stay together. It is a union in which two halves complete each other, it is an existence for which there is no place for a beginning or an end. And for this couple, it is something more, something only for them" His voice gentled, and he pulled the crystal away, and placed the larger ring her hand, and the smaller in Robert's. "Something only you can describe."

Robert had been giving the crystal skeptical looks this entire time. Killzone was such a weirdo, but he was their weirdo, and that was all that mattered.

He'd known that they were supposed to write their own vows. He didn't know they were supposed to memorize them. So Robert's face took on a look of sheer terror when Petra started to speak, if only because it was clear she was speaking from her heart, and not.. from.. a piece of paper.

s**t.

Of course, when the words sank in, his face changed to something akin to 'whuzawhut', and his head tilted to the side like a confused pup. On and on she went, listing all the reasons they were a terrible couple. Was she.. was she breaking up with him?! Holy s**t Petra you have awful timing! He was too stunned to say a word, so he just stared at her, until her eyes came back to catch his, and she explained.

Oh. Well. That was okay then. The goofy smile returned, though there was still a wary edge to it as if to say 'I've just gone through more emotions than a woman on PMS, be gentle'.

Of course, all of the anxiety and worry fell away in layers as she truly expressed her feelings, and his stupid grin widened when she mentioned it. He was glad that she'd paused when she brought up their hunter trials, because the moment she said it his entire heart seizured in pain. He reached his fingers out, desperate to pull her to him, and never let go. Knowing that, even then, without knowing who they were or what their past had been, they cleaved to one another..

Well, it was the surest sign that their union was the right choice, at least; not that Robert needed any sign to know he needed her.

So when she asked him, he waited until the ring was on his finger before he gently replied. "Always, sunshine."

But then, suddenly, it was his turn. And all the suave grace he'd built up in that moment fled in a fit of anxiety. It was his turn, and he was going to have to admit that he hadn't memorized his vows..

.. by pulling the crumpled napkin out of his pocket.

"Eheh.. sorry." He whispered in embarrassment, as he unfurled the napkin and started to read off the words he'd hastily written on it the night before.

"Ahem. Okay. So uhhh." Robert started to sweat. "Petra." He looked up at her when he said her name, but then quickly looked back down at the napkin. "I love you." He rolled his eyes and muttered to himself, "Well, duh I love you, why did I think that was somethin' I had to.." He sighed at his own stupidity and continued to read.

"A long time ago, when we were stupid kids, you took my hand. And you told me, Bobby, help. I don't even remember what you needed my help with, but I remember that moment. I looked up at you, and I saw so much in your eyes that I wanted to protect. I was like, I don't know - I know I was just some stupid kid with a complex but God, Pet, the moment I felt your hand in mine I knew I never wanted to let anything, or anyone, hurt you."

He looked up at her then, and his eyes crumpled in sadness. "And I failed."

There was a long, painful moment of silence, before he finally pulled himself away from her gaze, and turned his eyes back down to the paper.

"But, somehow, you love me even through all my failures. And I come to realize, you make me the kind of person I wanna be. So, if you don't mind, I'd really like to stay by your side for the rest of my life. I hope that with enough time, I can finally be the kind of guy you really deserve."

He crumbled up the napkin in one hand, and grinned. "I got a long way to go."

He turned back to Killzone, and the sun broke through the tree that shaded him, blinding him for a moment. He squinted his eyes, and then turned his head up to let the warm rays kiss his cheeks. He turned back to Petra, to return the kiss - pressing it on Petra's head. With his lips still there, he whispered softly as he slid a ring onto her finger.

"Please don't take my sunshine away."

Jordan had been alarmed for a moment, but only a moment. Petra knew what she was doing, and had she wanted to change her mind, she'd have done so already, quietly and privately; this was something else. He listened quietly as she spoke, then as Robert answered, making their own vows in their own way. It was beautiful, and Jordan couldn't help grinning like an idiot, watching his friends reaffirm their bond.