My son is bored. Care to play with him?
Gender: Male
Location: Minnesota
Rank: Prosecutor
Joined: Sun Dec 02, 2007 4:06 am
Posts: 725
Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to announce that my experimental wedding piece is finally ready for review. There may yet be ways to further flesh it out which have heretofore slipped my mind, but with a little luck, this should rival my Valentine's oneshot. This one's a little unique in that it features links to three songs, each located at the point in the story where I intend for them to "play". You are by no means obligated to play them while you read--the lyrics I borrow are all in the text, so you can just read them straight if that's your preference--but playing the songs might make the experience a little richer. They'll show up as YouTube "videos", but there's really nothing to watch in them--it's all about listening. As I said before, I also introduce a minor ship here. Where there's a Will, there's a way.
So...let the fun begin!
Experimental Wedding Piece
He just wouldn't go away. No matter how many times Adrian gave him the cold shoulder, Will continued to insist on being helpful--excruciatingly helpful. Maybe the wind-chill had rendered him numb to her icy mood so that he simply failed to notice. Then again, she had always been cold toward him, so what did he have to lose? She couldn't bring herself to tell him to get lost in so many words--not quite. After all, he
was useful. He was very good at keeping Pearl and Trucy occupied and frankly, Adrian had no idea how she could have kept Mr. Wright's wedding on schedule if Will had not volunteered to help with the heavy lifting. Handsome or not, the man was as strong as an ox and for that matter, his omnipresent hair might actually be an advantage here on Eagle Mountain--especially in the middle of February. February 13th...and the groom would be swearing his vows in an open doorway? Yes, he had practiced, but the wind was positively howling today. It was almost as if the bride's late sister was using it as a mouthpiece. Would he follow through or was this another bluff? Only time would tell.
How
was Will bearing up under the cold? Unbelievable... Was he actually sweating? He must have been; why else would he have clear beads in his sideburns?
You, Will, are a walking furnace. For a split second she envied him.
Must be nice, not being chilled to your very marrow... An absurd idea occurred to her.
You'd welcome a chance to hug me, wouldn't you? Cracking a wry smile, she slowly shook her head.
What a strange thought... I could probably have some of that body heat if I really wanted it. Snicker at it though she might, the idea began to appeal to her. Slowly, subconsciously, she began to drift toward him. Oblivious, he continued to work with that sweet, childlike smile of his. He was only six feet away when it dawned on her.
Am I beginning to find him cute? I must be heat-starved. Shaking her head once again, she let out a brief, voiceless laugh.
Time to take a seat by the brazier and warm up that way."Something funny?" Will asked, looking up from his work.
"Yeah... I still can't believe that Mr. Wright chose to hold the wedding
today."
"Oh, I'm sure he has his reasons. Day before Valentine's...it's actually pretty romantic when you think about it."
"Maybe so, but who can think in this cold? And besides, you could find romance in a puddle of dog pee."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Fine by me."
Against logic, she found herself warming up where she stood.
Definitely time to go to the brazier.***
As expected, Miles was both impeccably dressed and punctual. He would truly make the best of Best Men. What Phoenix had failed to anticipate was that Franziska would come as well. Yes, he had invited her, but since when did a von Karma suffer fools when she didn't have to? Wait... Miles had come and the wedding itself offered her an opportunity to have a laugh at Phoenix's expense. Of course she would come.
Predictably, Pearls was as cute as Miles was distinguished. She had taken to her role as Maid of Honor like a duck to water. Trucy, though every bit as enthusiastic, would be more of a wild card. Would she behave herself as the Flower Girl or employ some naughty magician's trick? Either way, with Maya officiating, he supposed it didn't matter much. He had more important things to think about anyway, such as preparing himself for the trial by ice he had sworn to undergo. He almost regretted taking that vow, but now he was committed...and surely it couldn't be any worse than the Special Course or his accidental baptism in the Eagle River... Right?
***
The ceremony began on a
Celtic note, providing an interesting fusion of East and West as the music filled the eminently Japanese temple. Was Mr. Wright of Irish descent? Adrian supposed it was possible. Soon it was her turn to walk down the aisle...with Will Powers. Whose idea was
that, she wondered. Could the bride and groom be trying to tell her something? Probably not, but still she sought someone to blame, for it was far more convenient to blame another mortal than to blame providence. Oh well. There were worse men than Will in this wedding party...
With obvious maternal pride Sister Bikini gave the bride away, advancing the ceremony to that one segment of which only the bride and groom yet had full knowledge: what the program cryptically called "Dialogue". Those in the wedding party knew that it contained two songs and that all they had to do during it was stand, but that was all. Again music began to play, this time with
male vocals.
Did I hear angel wings?
I thought I heard Gabriel sing
This could be some crazy dream
These feelings are too real
No Alice in Wonderland
It's the same world it's always been
But my vision's been born again
Like a lantern in the dark
Heaven's come to my heart
Locked in a sky so blue
Is a land made for me and you
And we're going there
But until the dream comes true
There's a secret place
So full of love and grace
When the world spins and breaks apart
I'm going to the other heaven of my heart
This isn't some distant dream
Heaven's inside of me
And from the love in your eyes I see
There is heaven in your heart
Now we all can understand
Why he wanders this lonely land
The shepherd's calling again and again
For the lost in the dark
To find the heaven of their hearts
(...)
So let this love unfold
Come walk on these streets of gold
In this heaven of our hearts
When the world spins and breaks apart
Come go with me to the heaven of our hearts
It's a land made for me and you
And we're going there 'cause this dream has come true
(...)The song produced mixed feelings in Adrian. It was sweet...even touching. But that was exactly the problem; it was a little
too touching. Some of those lyrics had pricked her like darts and now she couldn't stop thinking about the challenge to her judgment they represented. Clever though he might have been, Mr. Wright could not have planned that. So much for convenient explanations.
Another immediately followed, this one with
female vocals.
No heart beats like your heart
Keeping me in time
No hand as warm as your hand
Holding onto mine
No eyes can see through me
No smile ever drew me
Like yours
And no voice like your voice
Can calm my fears
And no prayers like your prayers
Can move me to tears
And no arm around me
Can fully surround me
Like yours...
(...)
Place me like a seal over your heart
For love is as strong as death
It burns like a blazing fire
Like a mighty flame
(...)If the previous song challenged her, this one tantalized and oh, how it tantalized! If she was interpreting events correctly, this was the bridal contribution to the "Dialogue" and now she was insanely jealous of the bliss that it announced. Iris had found something wonderful and Adrian wanted it with every fiber of her being. This didn't mean she wanted
exactly what Iris had, though. No, the man whose image kept suggesting itself to her throughout was...Will. Hairy, leonine, muscular Will. She had never thought of him that way before. Then again, she had never respected him before either. Painfully aware of her own vulnerability, she had loathed it in others--especially in men, whom she had tended to view as members of a privileged overclass. If a man acted as if the world wasn't his to conquer, then surely he was either a wimp or an idiot...or so she had assumed. Had she been too hard on Will? What superhuman fortitude must it have taken for him to put up with so much from her and remain friendly all this time? Had the positions been reversed, she would have begun hating him a long time ago.
Thus preoccupied, she almost failed to notice Maya's arrival at the altar. Maya looked almost like another person in her robes of office, though the way that she tugged at them when they got in the way reminded Adrian that she hadn't changed
that much. Maya picked up a microphone and turned it on, causing it to squeal with feedback. When she found a spot where it wouldn't squeal, she began to speak. "Before we begin the vows, I would like to briefly yield the floor to our Flower Girl. Trucy, would you please step forward?"
Eyes dancing with concealed mirth, Trucy moved to stand in front of a mystified bride and groom. Lifting her hands high, she shouted, "Let the miracle begin!" and flicked her arms downward, stopping them at a 45-degree angle to the floor with fingers outstretched like a sorcerer's. A loud boom sounded overhead and the "speakers" on the floor began to emit great clouds of smoke. Soon the doors creaked ominously open, admitting the winter wind, which shrieked through the doorway like a banshee. Smiling, Maya signaled for the bride and groom to follow her. Guiding them to the doorway, she turned and instructed the guests to stand and watch.
"Are you ready yet, Nick?" she asked
Shivering violently, Phoenix held up a forestalling hand.
She laughed. "Guess not. Let's start with the bride then." Turning toward Iris, she produced a sheet of paper. "I've never been that good at memorizing stuff. Iris, are you ready?"
"Yes, Mystic Maya; I am."
Maya cleared her throat. "Do you, Iris Hawthorne, take this man, Phoenix Wright, to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold in poverty and wealth, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live, purchasing his life with your own and swearing before these witnesses to remain faithful to him and to this union no matter what temptation may come?"
"I do."
Turning back to Phoenix, she continued. "Do you, Phoenix Wright, take this woman, Iris Hawthorne, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold in poverty and wealth, in sickness and in health, for as long as you both shall live, purchasing her life with your own and swearing before these witnesses to remain faithful to her and to this union no matter what temptation may come?"
"Ah-choo!"
"Is that an 'I do', Nick?"
Laughter filled the room.
"S-Sorry about that... Yes; I do."
"Then by the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the b--uhh, nevermind."
Shrugging, Phoenix began lifting his bride's left hand so he could kiss it. Iris, however, had other plans. She threw her free arm around him and kissed him on the mouth anyway, to uproarious applause. As the three of them walked back in, Maya closed the doors once again, to the palpable relief of all present.
The new couple experienced the post-ceremony festivities as a merry blur, so focused were they on each other. Only when they began to leave the temple did they regain full awareness of their surroundings. Awaiting them they were surprised to see a car outside. The driver's door opened and out stepped a familiar-looking bellboy.
"Good to see you Sir, Madame. I have been hired to drive you to your accommodations. A room has been reserved for you at the Gatewater, all expenses paid."
"All expenses paid?" Phoenix asked.
"Ab-SO-lutely, Sir."
"Dare I ask who's paying?"
"He wished to remain anonymous but permitted me to give you one hint if you asked."
"Really? What was it?"
"A sorting code, Sir: DL-6."
"That's a relief. Him I can trust."
"NIIIICK! WAIT UUUUP!"
Startled, Phoenix turned to see Larry running toward them at break-neck speed. "Larry? What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing much. It's just that I realized that it might be a good idea for you to open my present now. Here."
"Now? Okay..." Opening the gift, he found a red winter suit and a white beard. "A Santa costume? Are you serious?"
"Of course. It'll keep you warm, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so... Uh, thanks."
"Hey, no prob. See ya 'round, Nick."
Was he
trying to curse the marriage with that ill-omened gift? With Larry, one could never quite tell. Oh well. It
was potentially useful, though it might require some modification before it could be worn regularly, and Iris was nothing like Kiyance or any of Larry's other girlfriends. Why borrow trouble? He had almost entered the car when Larry shouted, "One last thing!” Bumping his head, Phoenix turned an annoyed gaze back to Larry. “What?” Larry scratched his head. “What was it again? …Oh yeah! Pearl says you’re not allowed to fight.”
***
The party was over and Will was still here, helping with the teardown. Sister Bikini had been hitting on him all day, but now the sight angered Adrian more than it amused her. Something fey had definitely occurred. Mere hours ago she had been dismissive of him and now she was…possessive? Maybe providence really was to blame. She still wasn’t ready to go full speed ahead, but she was willing to give him a chance. She would advance cautiously, one baby step at a time.
“Uh…Will?”
“Yes?”
“May I have a word with you, over by the cushions?
“Sure.”
When they reached the corner where the straw cushions were stacked, she reopened the conversation.
“I…haven’t been properly thankful for your help. Frankly, I don’t think I could’ve handled it all without you. You’ve earned a reward.”
“Really?”
“Definitely. What do you say to dinner when we’re done? It’s on me tonight.”
As she had suspected he would, he lit up like a Christmas tree. “S-Sure! I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Wearing the brightest smile she had ever seen on him, Will returned to work with renewed vigor. So easy to please… Why on Earth hadn’t someone already snapped him up? A sardonic smile crept across her face.
Oh yeah, that’s right; I should know. Pass the crow.