Volume 14 - Onward and Upward, Chapter 107 - The Wedding
Quess and Iormu's special day had arrived. It was a late spring morning in the mountains and the weather was calm and unusually warm, but not uncomfortably so. Cherry blossom viewing season had ended, changing Sakura Creek Park from pastel pink to the vibrant green of growing grass and new leaves. Scattered flower beds provided occasional splashes of color between the dark-grey crushed gravel pathways that wound their way through the large park.
Wheels crunched softly over the smooth gravel as Mimi rolled along a path on her electric dolly. She occupied only one side of her chest, leaning over her control stick to make room for the folding chairs that she was transporting.
"Here's another delivery," she called out when she reached the wedding site, or at least as close as the path came to it. She didn't want to risk getting her dolly stuck in the grass while loaded down with chairs.
"Thanks, Mimi," Tsuen called back from about thirty feet away. She had finished setting up the previous batch of chairs so she trotted over to Mimi to grab the next set. "You've really been a wonderful help today, by the way," she added as she grabbed four folding chairs from Mimi's chest, holding two in each hand.
"Glad to help," Mimi said. "I'm trying to be a better friend this time around."
Tsuen was a little surprised at the candid remark and didn't know how to respond, so she just nodded and said, "You're doing great." Then the centaur cantered away to place the chairs, her Mara-made yellow dress swishing in the wind.
The chairs were set up in three rows of six, split down the middle into two columns. The layout could accommodate 18 people, which was more than enough for the small ceremony.
The gap between the two columns created a grassy aisle leading directly to a small wooden lectern. A few feet beyond that, the park's namesake Sakura Creek burbled past, filled to the brim with crystal-clear snowmelt. Off to the side of the chairs, a white enclosed tent had been set up, and it was large enough to fit several people. The wedding party was already inside, using it as a dressing room.
Mimi made her way back to the rental truck and grabbed the last four chairs. She handled them carefully, making sure not to get any grease or dirt on her clothes. Her dark pink sleeveless dress wasn't particularly fancy, but it was the nicest one she owned and she really liked it.
As Mimi loaded the last chair into her chest, another smaller truck pulled into the parking lot. It had barely come to a stop when a bright pink arachne pounced out of the back and bounded toward Mimi.
"Good morning, Mara," Mimi called out to the approaching arachne. She would have waved too, but her hands were full of folding chairs.
"G'morning, Mimi!" Mara cheered, then she stopped in her tracks and looked the mimic up and down. "Ooh, nice dress, Mimi. With the color and your hair, I'm getting a real Princess Bubblegum vibe from it."
Mimi didn't get the reference, but that was par for the course when Mara was involved. "Thanks, Mara. You look good too," she replied, referring to Mara's lacy black and white gothic lolita dress. Then she added, "I'm a little surprised you're just getting here now. You didn't come down with Tsuen?"
Mara looked down and bashfully rubbed her stocking-clad pedipalps together. She said, "Yeah… Tsuen jogged down here on her own earlier. I think she didn't want me around while she set up the wedding site."
Two fluffy white wings pressed down on Mara's pink hair as Haru leaned her admittedly light weight on Mara's head. With a grin, the harpy teased, "Wise move on her part. Thanks to Mara's brand of 'help', we had a hard time just getting the truck loaded with presents."
Mara swatted at Haru with both hands but the agile raptor flitted out of range. Mara scowled and said, "Hey, I just didn't want anything to get damaged on the ride down."
Yuisu stepped up next to Haru, then crossed her arms and said, "But we also need to be able get the gifts out of the truck. With the way you were going overboard with your webs, we'd be cutting them free for hours."
Mara planted her hands on her hips and boasted, "Blades wouldn't do much against my webbing."
Haru covered her face with one wing and shook her head in disbelief. "You're not helping your case, Mara."
"I told you, my webs are easy to remove with the right technique. It would have been fine," Mara pouted.
Yuisu shrugged and smiled kindly. "Okay. Maybe next time, then." That seemed to diffuse Mara's mood, so she turned and asked, "Need any help with setup, Mimi?"
Mimi nodded towards the four chairs sharing her cosy cart. "These are the last of the chairs, but there's still a couple tables that are a bit too bulky for me to move alone."
"Consider it done," Yuisu proclaimed, then she hiked up her green cotton skirt and climbed up into the back of the rental truck.
Haru couldn't help but catch a glimpse of purple panties under that skirt, matching the blouse Yuisu was wearing. It was a fair guess that she was wearing a purple bra too, but Haru hadn't seen her get dressed that morning. Haru had been too busy picking out her own outfit that highlighted the latest spring fashions. It consisted of white capris, a wide decorative belt, and a wispy baby-blue blouse over a darker blue tank-top.
"Earth to Haru," Yuisu said, grinning down at her zoned-out girlfriend. "Can you grab that end of the table?"
Haru shook her head clear, then grabbed the edge of the folding table as best as she could with her wings. Mara stepped up and helped as well, and they both got another glimpse of their host's underwear as Yuisu clambered back down from the truck with her end of the table in hand.
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A short while later, a sharply-dressed duo arrived walking arm-in-wing. Misaki wore her favorite yellow and orange yukata, and she was actually wearing it properly for once, with the sleeves on her wings. Yamato wore a surprisingly formal black suit complete with a red paisley tie.
"Hey hey, Yamato and Misaki!" Yuisu said as she spotted the town's other harpy-human couple. "Looking classy, Yamato. I never figured you for a suit guy, but it looks good on you."
Misaki hugged his arm tight and said in her raspy-cute voice, "It's brand new. His parents paid for it, saying that he should use it again soon, whatever they meant by that…"
Yamato blushed deeply, suggesting that he knew exactly what his parents were expecting. They knew he was engaged and were trying to get him to finally pick a date. He ignored that topic and said, "Thanks, Yuisu. Where's Haru at?"
"She's pacing around down near the creek," Yuisu answered. She looked at Misaki and added, "I think she's getting a bit antsy in this stuffy formal atmosphere, and could use a partner for a flight around the park."
Misaki got the hint and quickly dropped Yamato's arm. "Be back later!" she shouted as she sprinted into the grass, already pulling her wings free of her sleeves. Thankfully, she was wearing a tank-top underneath her yukata.
Yamato and Yuisu both chuckled at Misaki's eagerness, then started catching up about work and life in general as they wandered on the park paths. Yamato mentioned that he was still working full-time at the grocery store, but before he could get any further, an engine roar distracted them both.
Up in the parking lot, a bright yellow car squealed to a stop. The two-door coupe was highly customized, with lowered suspension, a hood scoop for cold-air intake, dark tinted windows, and a black and chrome spoiler. An equally flashy woman stepped out of the driver's side, her colorful butterfly wings unfurling in the sunlight. She turned around and lowered her seat to let a much smaller woman out of the backseat.
"Ugh. That's the last time I ride with you when we're running late. You drive like a mad-woman, Flare. And that's not a compliment," Actia grumbled as she climbed out. She immediately raised a hand to shield her sensitive multi-faceted eyes from the bright sunlight. She was wearing a simple grey sundress that matched her white hair. Since she wasn't very comfortable in dresses or skirts, she opted to wear some jean shorts underneath.
From the passenger side, a third winged woman emerged, also blocking the sun with a hand. "It wasn't that bad, Actia. I thought it was kinda fun, actually," Chione said. The cyan-haired gargoyle was wearing a simple plaid skirt and a yellow v-neck blouse, a small departure from her typical outfits.
Flare shrugged, then closed the door once Actia was clear. "Sorry, Actia. My baby's built for speed, not comfort, and the ride is definitely smoother up front."
Actia shook her head. "It's alright. Thanks again for the ride, since I can't fly well when it's this bright out."
The two nocturnal girls beelined for the shade of the trees, but Flare took a moment to soak up some sun. She was more into cars than nature, but she could appreciate a beautiful day when she saw one. She also appreciated how nice her blue spaghetti-strap sundress looked when it caught the light.
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By eleven o'clock, most of the guests had arrived and were either sitting in the chairs or socializing by the refreshment table. Water, juice, and some light snacks were available, with a larger lunch to be served after the ceremony.
A black-feathered wing lifted the lid of a cooler, giving two wide copper eyes an early glimpse at the lunch offerings. "Ooh, looks like spring rolls and sandwiches," Misaki said to herself. Then she reached into the cooler, planning to swipe a spring roll.
"Misaki…" said a low and disapproving voice nearby.
The little yatagarasu pulled her wing back in a hurry. The big glass beads in her long black hair swung dangerously as she pivoted around, expecting to see Yamato.
Instead, it was Mara wearing a mischievous grin. "Gotcha! My Yamato impression was pretty good, huh?
Misaki nodded eagerly. "Yeah. It really had me hoping it was him."
Mara narrowed her six black eyes. "Hoping?" she questioned.
Misaki's black bird-like feet scratched at the grass. "Yeah… Part of why I swipe stuff is to get his attention. I know he loves me, but"—her voice dropped to a dry whisper—"sometimes he isn't very good at showing it…"
Mara closed the distance between her and Misaki with two bounces, then stood on her eight tiptoes at Misaki's side. To cheer her up, she lightly elbowed the harpy and said, "I'll give him some tips later. For now, tell me what you've been up to lately. You haven't been to the inn in a while."
Misaki answered, "Me and Yamato are taking a couple classes at the university, just to try it out. It turns out the Exchange Program will pay for it, too!"
"Oh, what kind of classes?" Mara asked. She assumed it was something agricultural, since that was the main focus of the school.
To Mara's surprise, Misaki said, "I've been really enjoying computer science, at least once I got a touchscreen tablet to use as a keyboard. I get to write little programs that do hard work like math for me!"
Mara found herself squinting her eyes at Misaki again. That crow-harpy was so ditzy it was hard to imagine her doing anything as technical as programming. Skeptical, Mara asked, "Is Yamato helping with that?"
Misaki's shoulders drooped. "Yeah. Yamato takes notes in class for me, since I can't type fast enough." Then she stood up straight and grinned proudly. "But I write all my programs myself!"
Mara blinked as she revised her opinions of Misaki. "Wow. That's great, Misaki. I spend a lot of time on the computer, but programming is beyond me. Keep it up."
Instead of responding to Mara, Misaki's focus drifted onto the latest arrival: a man in a sharp black suit with slicked-back hair and very dark sunglasses.
For once, Agent Will's standard black suit didn't look out of place, and even his sunglasses could be excused on such a bright day. Then he took the sunglasses off, tucked them in his breast pocket, and approached the front of the ceremony area. He stepped behind the little lectern and pulled out some notes, unfolding them on the stand's flat surface.
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Yuisu was sitting in the front row and she asked him, "Wait, you're officiating today?"
Agent Will nodded and said, "Yes. While gay marriage isn't legally recognized in Japan yet, the Cultural Exchange Program has started to defer to the laws of liminal homelands where it is recognized." Then he puffed out his chest and boasted, "I'm authorized to perform internationally-recognized marriages for over 100 liminal species."
Then he lowered his voice and told Yuisu, "Harpies are one of those species, in case you were wondering."
Yuisu blushed and looked away, watching the creek flow by. She knew what Agent Will was implying, since marriage was on everyone's mind, but she wasn't really ready to think about that just yet.
Haru approached just then and sat down next to Yuisu, carefully holding a cup of water with both wings. Oblivious to the prior conversation, she said, "Thank goodness Tsuen was getting water at the same time as me. I'd never manage that dispenser's stupid little lever on my own." Then she finally noticed Yuisu's unusual expression and asked, "What's up, Yuisu?"
Yuisu shook her head and said, "Nothing." Then she saw that Agent Will was standing up straight and looking directly ahead, so she put a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh. It's starting soon."
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Once people had taken their seats, Agent Will tapped a hand on the wooden lectern and proclaimed, "Welcome to the ceremony. I'm Agent Will, and I'll be officiating today."
Yuisu gave him an odd glare for introducing himself with his silly self-proclaimed 'Agent' title, but he paid it no mind.
His plain brown eyes looked out at the group of gathered guests. Neither Quess nor Iormu had any relatives in attendance, but that was to be expected. Since slimes were so rare and secretive, Agent Will wasn't sure whether Quess even had any living family, and while Iormu likely had some other long-lived relatives somewhere, none of them were within Japan.
He was sure they didn't mind the lack of family at their wedding, since so many of their dear friends and acquaintances had come. Of course their former housemates were there: Yuisu, Haru, Mara, Tsuen, Chione, and Mimi. There were also some new friends in Actia, Flare, Misaki, and Yamato. Iormu's eternally stern-looking boss, Akita Sakamoto, had come as well. Finally, a small girl with pink hair and green skin sat between two human adults: Pwess's best friend Cissu and her foster parents.
A few others, such as Lethe and Mrs Kawahara, the prior owner of the flower shop, had been invited, but couldn't make it from out of town.
With a grin, Agent Will said, "By the way, since there will be two brides today, the order of events may be a bit different than you're used to. It looks like everything's ready, so let's get this show on the road."
He reached into the rented lectern and pressed a button on a CD player to start some quiet music, then he called out, "Pwess! You're up!" It seemed his carelessly casual way of handling things applied even to running weddings.
A collective "Awwww!" ran through the small audience as they turned and saw an adorable sight. Pwess had stepped out of the dressing tent carrying a wicker basket of light pink flower petals and wearing a bright pink dress. It was very detailed and looked like real cloth at first, but the way it jiggled with her movement could only mean one thing: it was made of her own slime. It was likely based on a dress design she saw in a magazine, and it looked great on her.
Pwess had grown her purple-fading-to-yellow hair tendrils longer than normal and they hung down past her shoulders, contrasting colorfully against her pink skin and pinker dress. She also wore a little crown of fresh flower blossoms of several colors. She was smiling from ear to ear, proud to be participating in the wedding as flower girl, but she was also pretty nervous.
Pwess continued slowly down the aisle with practiced care, dropping a handful of flower petals with each step. The pretty pink petals fell gently to the green grass, or at least some did. For every methodical step taken and handful of petals dropped, she stuffed a second handful into her mouth. Whether it was due to nerves or hunger after being cooped up in the dressing tent all morning, Pwess was now eating half of the petals she was supposed to be dropping.
The young slimegirl only seemed to realize what she'd been doing when she went to grab some petals and found the basket empty. "Oops," she said aloud, glancing around in embarrassment.
Pwess quickly scampered the rest of the way to the front and stood off to Agent Will's left, then she visibly relaxed and said, "All done!" With how cute she'd been, nobody even thought to fault her for her mistake.
Quess was the next to appear from the white tent. She and Iormu had decided to have her walk down the aisle first, since she had been the one to propose.
She wore a pure white dress that stopped just before the ground, revealing her bare feet which stepped lightly over the vibrant green grass of the aisle. The dress covered her chest very modestly and featured sheer flower-shaped lace across the back and shoulders. Unlike most of her outfits, it was real cloth, and it was made from a special waterproof material so it wouldn't absorb any of her slime or coloration.
She wore her rose-pink hair tendrils pulled up and pinned into ornate loops that hung at the sides of her face. A crown-like tiara supported a small white veil that covered her face. Beneath the veil, a nervous-yet-happy smile shone vibrantly.
She made her way slowly down the grassy aisle, stepping in time with the airy music she'd helped to pick out. When she reached the front, she nodded at Agent Will and gave Pwess's shoulder a loving squeeze. Then she stood silently to Agent Will's right, straining to keep her emotions in check.
She had already seen Iormu in her wedding dress, since neither of them cared much for the 'no seeing each other before the ceremony' rule, but she still wasn't prepared for what came next. Iormu's hand, nails painted a glistening purple, lifted the flap of the large white tent, and she emerged looking like a magnificent roman goddess.
Iormu wore a Grecian-styled white dress with silver lining and a wide silver belt. The dress had a slant to it so it ended high on her left hip but extended much further on the right, almost to the ground. The neckline plunged deeply and the swooping arcs of cloth across her voluptuous chest were very reminiscent of the beaded jewelry she often wore. That day however, the only jewelry she wore were simple purple amethyst earrings and her ornate rose-gold engagement ring, which had been moved to her right hand to make room for her wedding ring.
Her long, purple hair was done up in an ornate French-braid, reducing its length to just past her shoulder. Hanging from her horns, a tremendous veil ran down her back and along her tail for her entire forty feet, held in place by lacy garter-belts every six feet or so. A much smaller portion hung forward over her eyes.
She slithered down the aisle, feeling more impressive and beautiful she'd felt ever before in her unfathomably long lifetime. The look on the faces around her confirmed that feeling. She reached the front, then continued on past Agent Will, to his left. She spent a brief moment coiling her long tail in the open space, then brought her upper body into position next to Pwess and across from Quess.
She smiled down at Pwess for a moment, then looked back up and met Quess's eyes. Even through two veils, the beautiful sight got Iormu so excited that she couldn't keep the tip of her tail from wiggling, so she pulled it deep into her coil.
Agent Will cleared his throat, then said, "Welcome everyone. We are gathered here today to celebrate with Quess and Iormu. In their lives, they have both journeyed far and fought against great challenges, and after they met, they continued that trek hand in hand. They worked together to graduate from the Cultural Exchange Program and purchased their own home and business, all while raising their precious daughter, Pwess. Now we will witness as they embark on their next journey together: marriage."
Once he finished his brief speech, Quess and Iormu inched forward and they each reached out to grasp the other's veil with one hand. With a little giggle at the awkward action, they simultaneously lifted the other's veil, revealing two sets of joyful tear-filled eyes. Iormu had actually gone lighter than normal on her makeup, since she knew there would be tears to smudge it up.
Quess stepped back from Iormu, took a slow deep breath and said, "Iormu and I decided to choose our own wedding dresses, and I chose to make my outfit symbolic of my journey so far. My bare feet represent my desire to stay grounded and remember where I came from. My dress was made by a local human seamstress and it is a symbol of my new integration with humanity. And my tiara represents how I look ever upward toward my life with Iormu and Pwess."
She looked deep into Iormu's eyes, swallowed, and said, "As I said when I proposed, you are the love of my life, and mother to my precious child. While I don't know what is yet to come in our lives, I want to spend every moment discovering that with you, as your wife."
Iormu wiped a rogue tear from her cheek, then said, "As I attempted to write my vows, nothing felt quite right. Nothing I wrote could fully encompass the love I feel, which is like a blazing star eclipsing my entire past. I've had lifetimes spread across eons to experience love, but nothing I had ever experienced could compare to the inescapable gravity of my relationship with you."
Yuisu leaned back in her chair and blinked, thinking, She thought that that wasn't good enough? It's totally beautiful!
Iormu continued, "Throughout history, people have often thought that my hibernation cycle existed to herald times of great turmoil and to warn humanity of hard challenges ahead. But now I know its true purpose: to carry my mortal soul safely through a journey of two-thousand years to the day that I met you, to the wonderful instant we fell in love, to the momentous birth of our daughter, and to this very moment. And now that I'm here, I'll hibernate no more, lest I miss even a single precious second of my future as your wife."
After that, Agent Will rattled off a pretty standard set of vows, complete with 'repeat after me' and 'for as long as you both shall live'. Quess and Iormu each echoed his words, then placed rings upon each other's fingers. Despite the ornate engagement ring Quess had given Iormu on Christmas, their wedding rings were straightforward and simple. They both featured entwined braids of rose-gold, each with a single gemstone woven securely within. Iormu's ring held a pink topaz, while Quess's had a deep purple amethyst.
With a broad grin, Agent Will said, "I am pleased to pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss the brides."
Iormu and Quess flew into each other's arms and collided in a kiss that turned a bit too passionate for public display. After an 'ahem' from Agent Will, they broke it off and turned to face the crowd, blushing vividly.
Quess was the first to find her voice through all her emotion, so she said, "Thank you all for being here with us. Now how about we eat some lunch and then cake?"
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"Oh no, oh no!" a woman's voice cried out from far away. "Are we late? I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to ruin your special day!"
Quess, Iormu, and everyone else all looked up from their lunch and turned toward the sound. They saw a lizard girl running toward the party, cutting through a grassy field. She had bright blue scales, spiky blue hair, and wore a frosting-smeared apron. Behind her, a towering man walked slowly, carrying a round container of some sort that was so large it hid his face.
Iormu handed her plate of spring rolls to Tsuen to hold, then slithered forward to meet the woman, one arm raised. "You're from Muse's Grace? No, you're not late, we're just running a bit early!" she called out.
The lizard girl slowed to a stop and quickly changed color from blue to a more natural looking green. "Oh, thank goodness. I was so worried when I saw everyone standing."
They were finally close enough that they could stop shouting, so Iormu said, "Don't worry about it. We've just been eating lunch. With how warm it is today, this actually works out nicely. Wouldn't want the cake to melt in the sun, now would we?"
The girl, who Iormu remembered was named May, nodded and smiled, visibly relieved. She pointed over her shoulder and rambled, "Kyle's got the cake. Where should he put it?"
Iormu smiled back and said, "On that empty table would be great."
A familiar darkly tanned and pig-like face peered around the cake container, then grunted an affirmative, "Got it."
Kyle carried the massive cake to the table and carefully lifted the top of the container. Inside was a four-tier masterpiece featuring spirals of flower-shaped fondant and numerous green marzipan leaves.
Before he could step away, the beautiful sight brought the wedding guests crowding in around him.
"Damn, that's really pretty," Mimi said, standing on her tiptoes in her chest to see over the crowd.
"Who cares what it looks like? I wanna eat it!" Mara said as she scrambled around the table to get closer.
Misaki bounced up and down, flapping her wings and looking very childish. "Yeah! What Mara said!"
Kyle's dark skin had turned a shade of pink as he was swarmed by pretty girls, some of whom he knew passingly from the Wild Life. "Uh, can I get through, please?" he asked as he carefully stepped away from the table. With his large size, he had learned that he had to be very careful around fragile things like wedding cakes and cute girls.
Thankfully, Yuisu approached the fray and loudly said, "Out of the way, girls! Don't you know that you can't eat any cake 'til the brides cut it?"
With some grumbling, the gaggle of girls dispersed, allowing Kyle to escape. He was heading back towards the parking lot when Yuisu called out his name.
"Kyle, I wanted to say congratulations. I heard that you graduated from the program and moved in with your girlfriend."
He stopped and rubbed his huge hands together bashfully. "Thanks, Yuisu. It's been crazy. We studied together to finish the Exchange Program. She graduated too."
"Is that her?" Yuisu asked, gesturing at the peppy chameleon girl who was still talking to Iormu about the cake.
A lovestruck expression appeared on Kyle's face and he mumbled, "Yeah. …Isn't she great?"
While Kyle stared lovingly at May, Mimi rolled up in her wheeled treasure chest and decided to tease her coworker a little. She grinned and remarked, "She must be great in bed, to put a smile like that on your face."
Kyle blushed harder and said, "Um, I better check in with May. She has to get back to the bakery, and our cab is waiting."
Yuisu reached up high to pat his shoulder. "Sure thing. See you around, Kyle."
The large and endearing orc jogged off leaving Yuisu and Mimi alone. Yuisu gave her a look that said, 'Did you really have to tease him like that?'
Mimi said, "Hey, with how close he and Brutus are, Kyle's practically family. I gotta give him a hard time now and then."
"So you finally got to meet him properly?" Yuisu asked.
"Yeah. He came by the house yesterday, and he'll be returning to work now that his move is done," Mimi answered. "I haven't met his girlfriend yet though."
"Time to cut the cake!" Agent Will shouted. "I need the brides over here!"
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After excusing herself from her conversation with May, Iormu took a moment to remove her massive veil and store it back in the dressing tent. Then she slithered to the table where Agent Will and Quess were already waiting. The guests were gathered a few feet away, ready for another fun moment, and the promise of delicious cake.
Pwess and Cissu in particular were bouncing up and down in excitement. Thankfully, the eager children were kept under control by Cissu's foster parents.
Agent Will offered a large knife to the two brides, then stepped back several feet. It seemed he was wary of the impending tradition.
Iormu and Quess grabbed the knife handle together, then carefully cut one slice from the lower tier of the cake. They gently removed the piece and set it on a plate, then set the knife aside.
Then they each grabbed a handful of the slice of cake and smashed it into the other's face.
To Iormu's surprise, her hand went right into Quess's gelatinous body, depositing the cake inside. After she recovered from that shock and the impact of cake on her own face, she pulled her hand out to find it scrubbed clean of frosting by Quess's slime.
Then Iormu used her long tongue to quickly lick all the cake and frosting from her own face. After just a few seconds, no trace remained of the typically messy cake-smashing tradition.
Quess and Iormu both giggled for a moment, then shared a quick kiss that tasted like buttercream frosting. Then Iormu raised an arm and called out, "Who wants a piece?"
"Only if you don't smash it in my face," someone joked. Iormu did a doubletake when she realized it was her boss, Principal Akita Sakamoto.
Several others that had just met the woman gave similar incredulous looks. She exuded a sense of grounded seriousness, so her lighthearted tone was totally unexpected.
With a sigh, Akita took off her clunky square glasses and pulled a large pin from her updo hairstyle. As her brunette locks tumbled down around her shoulders, she said, "There? Now can you believe that I'm capable of having fun?"
All around her, hearts were set aflutter, male and female alike. With her glasses off and hair down, she was remarkably beautiful.
"I believe it, Akita," Iormu said with a chuckle. Her face broke into a grin and she teased, "Now stop upstaging my wedding with your beauty and come get your cake."