[Sekirei]

Akutan was heading home from a run of the border. His expression was all business. Every since they decided they were in this for life, Akutan decided it was time for him and Kyra to start planning the wedding. The idea of weddings was somewhat odd to him because when his parents, along with Byakko and Raka, decided to get together, there wasn't much in the way of pomp and circumstance. They just decided to be mates and that was that. Akutan would be the first in the family to have a "proper" wedding ceremony. He didn't see it as necessary but he was open to the idea all the same and wanted Kyra's input on how they should arrange it.

It was funny how it all came to this. He and Kyra hadn't seen each other since their families separated during Exile. Then she and her father return during Sara's pregnancy and she was the only one between the two of them who made it no secret she was interested in him. Akutan had still been caught up with the events in his past that he really didn't look at her differently. He found her annoying initially but over time, tolerance built up and he started to enjoy her company. It wasn't until Sara was reaching the end stages of her pregnancy that he noticed how...all woman Kyra had become during their time apart. It all came to a head when the birthing was taking place and Akutan got spooked. Kyra was the only one to follow him when he bolted and the two ended up starting a somewhat illicit affair. 

Akutan sighed to himself, pausing for a moment. Thinking of that night made his ears burn. Neither of them had been with anyone else prior to them since they were too busy either surviving in the wild or just caught up with past circumstances that pretty much demanded attention from them. Still...Kyra had felt perfect under him. He still had a sneaking suspicion that initial joining was the result of one manipulating the other or even mutually. It was just hard to know what that first encounter actually meant. Were they just blowing off steam and pent-up frustration or had there something genuine there? Who really knew? He was inclined to think it was the former. He felt as if things were spiraling out of control and she was undoubtedly frustrated that he never responded to her own advances. Perhaps that night was the boiling point and things just naturally progressed from there. 

The Maelstrom brought his mind to the present and felt a smile curl his maw. In the end, it didn't really matter. That was then, this was now. He was finally in a good place, he landed himself a hot girl, they were going to start planning their future together, and they were going to make things work. Their personalities seemed like they would clash but a balance could be struck. Upon reaching the family den site, Akutan went to the den where Kyra was sleeping. "Are you awake? I wanted to talk to you about us." he said at the entrance. He sat down to wait for her to come out.

[Charley]

((I don't think we're actually going to "Go Anywhere" in the thread, but I do want to mention to spectators that I play Kyra, especially, with Adult Themes. ))

After the quake and Kyra's near death experience, she had languished in one of the clans dens enjoying the time of being doted upon by her father and the clan. She had been careful not to twist her back too much while it healed and Hakan had helped her do some exercises to strengthen her back again so it was less likely to need an adjustment. He did at one point tell her that it might be one of those injuries that'll flare up every now and then. She had been cleared to go back to work yesterday... but she thought maaaybe she could start in the afternoon, after she wakes up. She was not a morning person.

She was actually lying on her back staring at the ceiling of the den when she heard the familiar steps of her lover approaching. He probably finished his early morning march of the border. What a pair they made. He was almost ice cold to the world around him, she was a blazing all consuming fire. She smiled at the memory of That Night and wondered if she could invite him in the den for a repeat. So what if they weren't pack official quite yet, they were close enough. They were just waiting for the chaos of recent events to die down. They wouldn't be breaking any laws if they were days away from announcing to the pack, right?

"Are you awake? I wanted to talk to you about us." She heard his voice and she looked out the den and saw him settle just outside of it.
She hummed, rolled over onto her belly and crawled to the entrance. Low to the ground she stretched languidly her luscious red legs out infront of him and gave him a mischievous smile creasing her lips, her bi-colored eyes half lidded seductively. She leaned against the den, half out.

"Mmm... Me too." She practically purred. It was obvious she wasn't interested in actually speaking about their relationship. What could she say, a near death experience really put what she wanted into perspective.

[Sekirei]

It wasn't long before Kyra came out, giving him The Look but he wasn't about to be baited or distracted. Especially considering she was still healing somewhat from the earthquake. He just rolled his pale greens before settling down comfortably in front of her. "Anyway, it seems a new tradition Nardir has is wedding ceremonies. I would like to start planning ours." he said as his opener. He truthfully had no idea where to start and hoped the two of them could bounce ideas off each other.

Part of him missed his mother, knowing she would've loved the idea of weddings in general. If no one else, Starfire would've had some ideas. But she was gone and thus it was on Akutan to help arrange things with his intended's help. It was kind of funny to think of Kyra as his betrothed. Considering how polar opposite they were in personality, it would be an interesting adventure. Sure, the Maelstrom was in a better place then he had ever been but truth remained that he was still relatively stuck with his current outlook and thus wasn't the warmest wolf to get close to.

[Charley]

She good naturedly laughed through her nose as he rolled his eyes. Ever the stoic rules man. Once rules were out of the way, nothing would be stopping them from a romp whenever and wherever they felt like it. She perked her ears brushing off her desires like a branch in her face, for now. He continued with what was on his mind in the first place and it actually took her aback.

"Anyway, it seems a new tradition Nardir has is wedding ceremonies. I would like to start planning ours."
She furrowed her brow for a second like he suddenly grew a third eye on his nose. Was he kidding? He doesn't kid. Kyra kids, Akutan does not kid.

"You mean we gotta throw a big shindig and be all ceremonial in front of... everybody?" Either it was a dream come true for Kyra to be the center of attention, or her biggest goddamn nightmare because... because! She could royally eff up in front of... effing ROYALTY and EVERYBODY IN GADDAM VALLEY. Granted they were cool royalty and barely ever pulled the royal card. She didn't want to mess up in front of Alana again though.

What did a Nardiri wedding entail? She's never been to one. Has there ever been one yet? Would theirs be the first? No pressure. Maybe they could get one of the artists involved? This was something her mother would have been all over.

"Are we the first in the new lands? Has someone had a wedding already we can base off of?" Or totally take and make a million times better and completely unforgettable. If they're the first they gotta make it big don't they? All pomp and circumstance. Do they have to do the ceremony at a specific place? The bigger it would be the bigger whatever mIsTaKe she might make during the ceremony would be though. Maybe something small then, just them, whoever made it official, her dad, his family, and whoever wanted to watch she guessed?

She realized she didn't actually have a whole lot of friends.
"What are you thinking?" her brain was going a million miles a minute but it was mostly jumbled feelings that were hard to work out and cloudy snippets of what she might want.

[Sekirei]

"You mean we gotta throw a big shindig and be all ceremonial in front of... everybody? Are we the first in the new lands? Has someone had a wedding already we can base off of? "What are you thinking?"  Kyra asked him in a hurry. She clearly hadn't thought about this, which was understandable. Weddings were a new thing. "Far as I can recall, the only wedding I think we've had was Alana and Julek's but I can't be sure. I was thinking something more low-key. Family, for sure. Perhaps some friends but like you, I don't have much in the way of friends aside from Ticon and Stella. And I think it would be in good form and proper to have at least Alana present as a royal witness. If Julek can attend, that's good, too." Akutan replied. 

The royals, at least, were a no-brainer to the Maelstrom who felt it was necessary to have one of the alphas present, maybe even preside over the proceedings themselves. Far as he knew, wedding ceremonies didn't seem to fit any of the rank duties. Who knows? Maybe it was part of Puffin or even Byakko's job. "In any case, I intend to touch base with Alana soon to let her know the plan and perhaps she could provide some input as well. I just wanted to have some ideas to present to her and see if there's anything we have to do regarding the ceremony itself." he said. He then gave Kyra a bit of a smile before stretching his neck to give her a lick on the cheek. "What do you think? Anything you want in regards to the ceremony?" he asked.

[Charley]

"I have friends..." She muttered obstinately when he mentioned it after suggesting a smaller ceremony, she flicked her tail. She was no way going to admit she didn't have friends. Her head cooled though as he leaned in to lick her cheek and asked her what she might actually want in the ceremony.

Suddenly her head was filled with grand scenes, a promenade lined with flowers, clear skies, flowers on her head and back. She would look ethereal, her father could give her an herb like lavender to rub into her fur and make her smell like something unearthly and beautiful. In this waking dream a breeze would pick up and ruffle her fur just so and the flowers would catch the wind in a wonderful dance. She wanted to sit next to this silver socked shadow and profess undying loyalty with a grand speech as the entire pack watched in awe, muttering to themselves that they had never seen a woman more beautiful than Kyra, surpassing the Queen herself! They would sit under an awning made of branches and wisteria facing each other in front of everyone. It would be picturesque. Every couple would struggle to have their own weddings be as grand and memorable. Everyone would remember Akutan's and Kyra's wedding. And when the ceremony was finished at sunset they would all howl into the gathering stars, setting their place among the heavens as a couple. The moon would beam down magically upon them as they made holy love in a private clearing surrounded by fragrant and blooming moonflowers.

Her eyes had gone starry with the images fluttering through her vision, smiling like an idiot as she dreamed. But a puff of her breath upon the gathering cold air brought her attention back to the present. Her dream was set in mid spring, it would soon be winter and she honestly didn't want to wait until the thaw. She'd rather keep warm with him. Her dreams changed subtly, instead of flowers it was boughs of pine, speckled with holly berries. She had a white rabbit collar that sat elegantly over her shoulders held in place at her chest by a bough of holly. Yes firey and yet frigid. This was much more fitting. Snow, there would be snow and no one would be able to miss her vibrant fur and his dark form against the pine and poinsettias.

"It'll be winter soon, and it'll snow." She started finally, coming out of her second reverie. "We can put those bright red poinsettias on either side of a pine arch. Decorate the pine with green holly and the red berries. I'd love to wear a warm white rabbit scarf over my shoulders," She wiggled her shoulders at him and fluffed out her chest, she then sidled up to him and whispered, "After the ceremony we can make holy love under the light of the moon." then nipped his cheek gently to tease and stoke a fire. She walked around him dragging her tail under his chin, leading him on, "When the ceremony commences at sunset the whole pack will howl to the stars, agreeing that our love is true, our loyalty unchallenged and we are one!" She finished, snuggling into his other side, pressing to hear his heart. What did he think of her vanity? Was he as excited about the image as she? Was he just concerned about the logistics and getting it done?

[Sekirei]

Akutan watched as Kyra's mind started to wander. He waited patiently, knowing from her expression she was really getting into the idea of a wedding, despite being blindsided by it at first. He truthfully couldn't imagine a day like what they were planning. Given the pack's previous structure hadn't involved weddings between mates, it had never entered his mind at all. Akutan wasn't that imaginative to start with, given his mind's penchant for dissecting the current day's events into his routine of the day. Even before things went wrong, he had usually spent his time just thinking and being with his mother.

"It'll be winter soon, and it'll snow. We can put those bright red poinsettias on either side of a pine arch. Decorate the pine with green holly and the red berries. I'd love to wear a warm white rabbit scarf over my shoulders," Kyra said, still somewhat in her reverie. The Maelstrom's ears pricked up a bit as he studied her with a clinical eye. He could see that. Sounded beautiful with a touch of practicality. Perfect combination. "After the ceremony we can make holy love under the light of the moon. When the ceremony commences at sunset the whole pack will howl to the stars, agreeing that our love is true, our loyalty unchallenged and we are one!" she then said, nipping his cheek and dragging her tail under his chin before laying down at his side and leaning against him.

She almost had him there. Akutan had felt the seductive pull of just having her then and there but he shook his head free of the cobwebs. "Don't jinx it, sweetheart. Wouldn't do for something to get knocked out of place in the grand design we're weaving." he said before smirking, standing, and rolling her onto her back. "If I wasn't so worried about messing something up in our plans, I'd have you here and now but if it's okay with you, I want to stay focused. I promise to make it up to you later." he said, still smirking but with a business-like edge to it so she didn't take his semi-flirtation as an invitation. He then half-fell, half-rolled back into his previous position and started making marks in the dirt in front of him. He drew out Kyra's idea of a pine arch with his claw, prettying it up with the poinsettias she described. His face fell into a thoughtful mask as he started wondering what he wanted out of this in terms of decor. Should he have some sort of rabbit fur scarf, too?

"You say you want a rabbit fur scarf, right? Do you have any ideas for me in that department. I'd be all for a matching scarf in black, if my fur wasn't already black, and I'm not sure if it would look right for it to be white rabbit fur either, unless you think otherwise." he ventured.

[Charley]

Kyra giggled as he pushed her over onto her back. She knew they weren't doing anything today but it was far too much fun to tease him about it. He was all business and focus as usual, but he did seem to have a lighter side and was certainly not as broody lately.

"For you," She responded, flipping back on her stomach to rest on her elbows, then tilting her head and narrowing her eyes at him trying to picture it, "Some luscious aromatic cedar boughs. Soft enough to rest around your neck and not be as uncomfortable as pine or holly. Though a few holly berries... Juuust here." She inched closer and nosed the base of his neck, right at his collar bone. She gave the spot a nibble before she quickly pulled away hopefully before he could get his own admonishing nip in.

It'll be grand and she was having far too much fun planning it all already.