Re: Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Minutes passed. Hunter smiled across at her, a big, joyous smile of one sharing a special moment with another. She returned it woodenly, with a sort of nod. If one looked closely, could maybe read her features, and recognized the sort of subtle expressions she was prone to, they might have caught the flicker of a frown in her eyes. This was because Cadenza was a sharp woman--she didn't let the horrors on the horizon of the future go forgotten, even if the present was all sunshine and piano melodies at the moment. She knew what was coming next. Was dreading what was coming next.
It wasn't the battle Zorlo had told her about. No--that was reason for worry too, but that was a worry she was as prepared as possible for. What she was dreading was horrific, inevitable, and would leave behind no survivors.
Prince Hunter Merridale was about to deliver a speech--and there wasn't a champagne bottle in sight. Not even the mercy of an empty one to bludgeon yourself over the head with.
There was no relief anywhere to be found.
For a second, she brightened up, considering testing the sturdiness of the chandeliers hanging over them all through the shadows--a convenient snap of one of the chains they hung by, and everyone would be saved from a gruesome death of sheer boredom...but her damned conscience had to show up to the party, and she shrunk back down guiltily, contriving to look like she hadn't been plotting anything at all. Hunter stepped forward then, beaming at the bride and groom before pulling out a few scraps of parchment and raising his hand for attention. He started to speak.
Cadenza winced, and resigned herself to staring at the chandeliers. After a while, the bright lights made little circular after-images dance across her vision. She absent-mindedly thought she might have gone blind. Too bad I didn't go deaf... she thought.
She looked out at the other guests. One man was endeavoring to keep as straight a face as possible--the gypsy recognized that look all too well. On Broccoli Head's considerably more-populous side, Tsuukai was burning a hole into Merridale's head with his stare (probably thinking something like "Please shut up, please shut up!" with enough intensity to make something combust) and behind him, a dark-haired man was dozing next to a vaguely familiar blonde. She didn't bother to look at the bride and groom--she could already picture Zorlo's smiling face, nodding along with the prince's words, without having to even turn around.
"...And so, I wish you both, on the behalf of all those present on this most joyous of occasions, the utmost happiness and good fortune that could ever come to any couple--no, to any whole, as you are now two halves of the same one, with hearts linked inextricably together--and thou.."
Eventually, the speech ended. All those still awake were unhappy about being so. Hunter looked out on the guests, smiled, and took his spot back on the small steps by Zorlo's side.
Louis' snores were echoing throughout the bowels of the piano, setting harmonious strings off vibrating. Everything he did was musical.
Then finally, after a few awkward moments, the hall went silent.
Last edited by Altamira; 04-17-2008 at 08:36 PM.