[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/UWGCWGx.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/JfZ3LOa.png[/img][hr][hr][b][colour=FF3131]Event:[/colour][/b] The Proposal [b]|[/b] [b][colour=FF3131]Location:[/colour][/b] Ersand'Enise[hr][hr][/center]
[color=f7976a]"Jammy,"[/color] said Penny, mercilessly, [color=f7976a]"You know this thing is a magic lamp, right?"[/color] She was swinging gently in the hammock in his dorm, her lone foot hanging out of it. Presently, the Avatar of Reshta was turning the shiny brass trinket over in her hands and, after a brief silence, she took a moment to glance his way. [color=f7976a]"It grants five wishes, but it's sneaky. It tries to subvert them."[/color]

Ashon nodded as he listened to her words, [colour=ff3131]“You have mentioned this before, but sometimes these things have a reputation far worse than implied.”[/colour] As if on cue, he brought out the so-called Twig of Woe, [colour=ff3131]“Like this cool-looking knobbly stick. If anything, it is a very sturdy stick; I even batted a cannonball away with it once, but it has never given me a single ounce of bad luck.”[/colour]

He moved toward her, stroking his hand against her cheek and into her hair. [colour=ff3131]“How many wishes have you made with it?”[/colour]

Penny straightened in the hammock until she was sitting 'cross-legged', or her best approximation of it. [color=f7976a]"Why, my dear monkey boy,"[/color] she purred, [color=f7976a]"I have used only one."[/color] There was quite a big grin in evidence. [color=f7976a]"I thought we might use the rest to improve our fortunes and... maybe... [i]un[/i]improve those of some people we don't like?"[/color] She was feeling mighty devious and clever at the moment. 

She rocked back and forth, self-satisfied, until her toes brushed the twig of woe. On her next swing, she found herself over-rotating and tumbling to the floor with a series of painful thumps. Grimacing, Penny sat up, rubbing at her left elbow. She regarded him dubiously. [color=f7976a]"My love,"[/color] she began frankly. [color=f7976a]"Light of my life."[/color] He blinked. [color=f7976a]"Luush'elar,"[/color] She pursed her lips, pawing momentarily in discomfort at her legless hip. [color=f7976a]"That thing is cursed as fuck. Maybe we can start by [i]un[/i]-cursing it?"[/color]

He stroked his chin, [colour=ff3131]“Un-improve those we don’t like? That sounds like a bad idea; we don’t want to make them even worse. Barely tolerable as they are.”[/colour] He definitely had a few people in mind as he shivered, giving her a big, knowing grin. Though the idea something happening such as a 8-foot Ayla gave him goosebumps too, or an even smaller one, running around and biting peoples ankles.

He blinked as he looked toward her and the twig, watching her crumble to the ground into a puddle, a smile growing on his face. [colour=ff3131]“You just have to treat her nicely. She gets a little defensive, though she can be a little jealous too if you spend too much time with other sticks.”[/colour] He rubbed the top of the staff, polishing it a little. [colour=ff3131]“Though, would you really trust it not to do something to your lamp?”[/colour]

[color=f7976a]"Who'd have ever imagined there'd be a thing called chivalry, huh?"[/color] Penny shook her head and, after a moment, stood. [color=f7976a]"Well, to be fair, your stick gets plenty."[/color] She rolled her eyes. Casting about for her crutches, the one-legged woman hopped a few steps to grab them and turned on the spot, holding the lamp awkwardly as she went. 

[color=f7976a]"If twig-chan is too precious,"[/color] she decided, [color=f7976a]"I say we wish for something simple it can't possibly fuck up. We just need to leave enough wishes to avert the looming disaster of the three babies I'm going to make in seven months out of wedlock."[/color]

He pondered for a moment, especially at the last comment. It was something that had occupied his thoughts for a while. Contemplating rather seriously, he suddenly had an idea. [colour=FF3131]“If I'm honest, there is one thing…”[/colour], he moved to settle on the hammock, patting the space beside him. [colour=ff3131]“I find myself in the fortunate position of always getting what I have ever wished for.”[/colour] He reached out to hold Penny’s hand in his, squeezing it tightly. [colour=ff3131]“I've never lacked for any possessions, having more than I ever want or need. As for love…”[/colour] he gracefully rose from the hammock and knelt before Penny, taking both her hands in his, [colour=ff3131]“I found the most beautiful girl who has occupied my dreams since before I can remember. One who loves me and is carrying my children.”[/colour] He gently placed a hand on Penny’s stomach, looking up into her eyes, [colour=ff3131]“The one thing left that I truly wish for is to marry you, Penny Pellegrin. If anything, to give you the wedding you've always dreamed about, even having your father bring you down the aisle as you've spoken about.”[/colour] He grinned up at her, planting a soft kiss on her ring finger. [colour=ff3131]“Can your lamp do that? Grant us your father’s approval, recognize me as worthy of his daughter's hand, and allow me to give his precious and most beautiful daughter the wedding she has always dreamt of?”[/colour]

She was about to settle into the hammock beside Ashon when he seemed to think better of it and, in his restless yasoi fashion, rose. 

She thought little of it and remained standing. Then, he knelt. He knelt and began speaking in an earnest voice and he was so handsome and so perfect and so... [i]*there*[/i] and she didn't know what to make of any of it! Involuntarily, she'd have taken a step back if his hands hadn't been clasping hers. He... wanted to give himself to her. To... be married in the sight of the gods. He said everything right. He [i]*was*[/i] everything right.

...and, yet, he was not.

Her father might 'disown' her to let her free of the restrictions of her station. He might attend such a wedding incognito or in disguise. He might furnish her with his well wishes and a sizable dowry and embrace her one last time before releasing the tethers that bound her and letting her sail away to be her own person. Her heart pounded at the thought: her and Ashon, a couple, setting off into the great unknown of a shared future.

Her mother would disown her in earnest, however. They would not speak again and she knew it. She might receive some notion of the woman's 'profound disappointment' through limited contact with one of her siblings, and that would be it. For some reason, she found herself surprisingly unperturbed. All her eighteen years of life, Penelope had tried for her mother's regard, and the best she'd ever gotten were grudging acknowledgements or shallow, public displays of acceptable affection, so as not to lay bare the distaste in which the queen held her daughter. It had always been... exhausting. It had been a constant investment of time, energy, and worry that had nibbled at the edges of her sanity and emotional wellbeing. And now, because she might want to marry a man - [i]*any*[/i] man, for it had been made amply clear to her that a 'disfigured' creature as herself was never to bring life into the world lest her curse be passed on - she would face a tantrum from the old woman? Penny's mind was made up.

Placing her weight on her hands so that he held her up momentarily, she knelt before him and brough them eye-to-eye, or something like that, despite his height. [color=f7976a]"[i]Yes,[/i] Ashon."[/color] She had said it, and it was cathartic to say. She took a moment to breathe, a smile blossoming, unbidden, on her face. [color=f7976a]"Yes one hundred percent. Yes. Yes. Yes before Ipté and Oraff. Yes before Dami and Shune and even Eshiran."[/color] She rose, pulling him to his feet. [color=f7976a]"Yes before all the people who give us strange looks in the street."[/color] She looked up at him, giggling giddily through the tears. [color=f7976a]"Yes before you being a foot and a half taller than me. Yes before people asking 'I'm sorry if this is a rude question, but are you two able to... [i]have[/i] children?'."[/color] She grinned. [color=f7976a]"On that note, yes before the three Oraff-damned kids you put in me and the agonizing pain of multiple childbirth."[/color] She shuddered, but softened it with a rueful laugh. [color=f7976a]"Which also means yes before those girls who shoot you coy looks. Fuck 'em. You're [i]mine.[/i]"[/color] She reached up and cupped one side of his jaw in her hand and pinched his cheek playfully. [color=f7976a]"Yes before your prophecy, too. I'm Reshta now. Always was."[/color] She winked, hands clasping his, swinging both of their arms back and forth. 

[color=f7976a]"And yes, finally, before my bitch of a mother who says you're not good enough and I'm not good enough to be happy."[/color] She smiled with finality, and there was suddenly a hint of shyness to it. Penny took a couple of deep breaths, letting them swell her chest. She rose onto her tiptoes, craning her neck and pulling him in toward her. [color=f7976a]"I love you, Ashon, with everything I am."[/color] She leaned in to kiss him. [color=f7976a]"We don't need any wishes this time. My father will come around."[/color]

Ashon was undeniably startled by the response, taken aback by the reaction. For a while, he had assumed that marriage was an elusive dream, particularly given the apparent disapproval from her parents. After all, would a Perrench King even allow his daughter to marry the local Yasoi orphan boy turned monkey man? This uncertainty had made him hesitant to bring up the topic, and his initial request was more about changing circumstances to make it a viable option. Perhaps the lamp could have changed their minds, or given him some Yanii title to parade around with, or even a so-called 'King of the Yasoi,' as far as such a title would ever exist other than in a comedian's tale.

However, considering everything they had been through, it suddenly seemed to make sense. Here she was, carrying not one but three of his children. What struck him even more was that she hadn't once considered getting rid of them, despite societal expectations and norms. It was no dirty secret, not even with the magical lamp in the picture. He was going to be a father, which was incredibly exciting, and now, he was also going to be a husband too.

As Penny extended toward him, Ashon decided to seize the moment. He effortlessly picked her up, cradling her in his arms and hoisting her upward as he wrapped his hands around her hips. In this playful lift, he found himself the shorter one for a change and leaned up to engage in a deep, passionate kiss with her. After breaking the kiss, he couldn't help but beam at her. [colour=FF3131]“Well, that's another wish granted.”[/colour] His wide grin persisted as he looked into her eyes. [colour=FF3131]“I suppose this means I'm taking you to Hyparii. Got to show you off to the Old Man for his blessing before the big day.”[/colour]

Penny leaned into the surprise direction of the kiss. On some level, she knew this was mad - it was all mad and daft and would be her ruin - but it also felt like deliverance, and she [i]wanted[/i] it! [i]*Ipté*[/i] how she wanted it! When they parted and he held her there, she winked. [color=f7976a]"Well, you know, you [i]are[/i] engaged to the Avatar of Vyshta, you know.[/color] She let him set her back down. [color=f7976a]"Wishes coming true tends of be part of the deal."[/color] She straightened her ruffled clothing. [color=f7976a]"Could you imagine our fathers meeting?"[/color] She proposed with a rueful laugh.

Whether or not they would remained to be seen, but now, perhaps, there was just a touch more certainty to it all.

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