I am the man who would fight for your honor

[etcircenses]

Who| Albert, Jet, their friends, all the Tributes, stylists, mentors, etc.
What| Albert & Jet get married!
Where| The Tiberius Ainsworth Memorial Atrium
When| Saturday, October 25th
Warnings/Notes| N/A?

With the change of the seasons, the sun seems to set at an earlier hour everyday. As such, by the time four o'clock rolls around, the sky over the mountains has taken on a deep orange hue. The evening is cloudless and promises a beautiful starry night for whoever is bold enough to stay up late enough to see it. It is truly a splendid evening, the perfect day for the joining of two hearts.



The atrium was decorated in black, silver, and gold color schemes, with tasteful bursts of metallic and random abundances of orchids in vibrant, tropical hues. The attendees were led to seats on either side of the aisle and the numerous media figures prepped themselves at the back of the atrium. A beautiful melody played and the members of the wedding party walked down the aisle.



Once the ceremony was finished and the officiant pronounced Albert & Jet legally married, the guests were instructed to throw confetti and disperse into the reception area.



The cameras are rolling, the music is playing, and it's time to kick back and celebrate. As a wedding gift, the Capitol has lifted the curfew for the night, so feel free to dance the night away!

Comments

[oopsright]

If Joel didn't clean up good in a tux with his beard and hair neat and tidy, enough to give her a reason to pause and stare at him, Tess would've had a quick sass-back remark for his greeting. She has to take a step back as her brows both lift, impressed by how the suit fits him. This is so different for her to see, much different from the stained and dirty plaid shirts and torn jeans that she's so used to seeing him move around in.

It's a nice change from what she'd seen him in at the crowning. Tess might have to put in a good word with Jolie to try and put the man in suits more often.

"Wasn't planning on it," Tess admits. "But here you are dressed all fancy, wouldn't want it to go to waste with you being a wallflower for the rest of the night."

Tess' only problem with her own outfit of the evening is the semi-sheerness between the golden patterns on the torso. Too revealing for her tastes.

[aintyourdad]

Joel, well. Joel noticed. All the sheer fabric, that is, though he's ever the gentleman, and he keeps his eyes fixed on her face, no matter how distracting she looks.

"Maybe we shouldn't distract from the grooms," he points out, rather than saying what he really thinks, which is I'd be more willing to dance again if it wasn't so public.

[oopsright]

Which is a good thing or else she'd have something to say or comment on, possibly tease him about.

"You are quite the distraction." Too late, Tess is already starting with the amused teasing as she gives the suit fitted to his form another look over.

She holds up the flute of champagne. "You try this shit yet? Tastes expensive."

[aintyourdad]

"It's just a tux," he points out, raising his eyebrows. If he was wearing nothing but a speedo? Okay, he could understand that. But geez. Maybe he's a little embarrassed, or at least not sure how to deal with her flirting with him so blatantly.

"You can taste how expensive it is?" he asks, relieved at her changing the subject.

[oopsright]

"It sure as hell doesn't taste cheap, Joel," she answers as she takes a sip of her champagne and then holds out the glass for him to take and try, if he wanted.

"And when's the last time I saw you wearing a tux, huh?" The same way he's never seen her dressed up as fancily as she was now, hair done up, and her make up subtle. "Ne-ver."

Tess wants to commit the image to her memory, both because he looks good in it and because he looks uncomfortable and stiff. Not that this event will be the last where he's wearing a suit like this.

[aintyourdad]

Gently, he takes the glass from her hand. A sip, sure, he tries it, and shrugs. He's not exactly a champagne expert, anyway, and he quickly sets the glass on the tray of a passing avox, before tugging her close for that dance, perfectly casual.

"How much've you had to drink so far?" he asks with a raised eyebrow.

[oopsright]

Perfectly casual? More like Smooth Operator Miller(tm).

Tess had watched him take that sip and then pass off her glass to an avox, not back to her. What the hell? She had opened her mouth to protest, wanting to tell him that she was far from being finished with that drink when she finds herself pulled close to him.

Close enough to make out the smell of soap and shampoo. And body warmth.

Uh.

If Joel had found himself earlier unsure how to deal with her teasing remarks, Tess was now finding out that she wasn't sure how to deal with him doing...that. That thing. That thing of pulling her in for dance and talking like it's the most casual thing ever between them, and like she hadn't died and they hadn't experienced a ton of horrible shit that turned them into shitty, fucked up people.

That thing where he takes initiative instead of comfortably following along, listening to her orders.

For the first time in a long time, Tess finds herself stumbling over her words.

She lifts her eyes to his and blinks slowly, owlishly, her hands at his upper arms. "Not...not a whole lot." Her answer is a little on the hesitant side, eyes narrowing very very slowly at him like she's trying to figure out the game he's playing.

[aintyourdad]

"You sure about that?" he asks, one hand moving to her hip while the other grasps hers, pulling her into the sway of the music. "You're actin' a few sheets to the wind."

He figures if she wants him to dance with her (again), then she'll find a way to make it happen (again), so he might as well just do it and get it over with (again). Right? Right.

And it has nothing to do with that damn perfume her stylist keeps making her use.

[oopsright]

Or maybe he's the one who wants to dance with her (again).

"A few sheets to the what?" There was a lilt of incredulity and amusement with that question as she falls into an awkward step with him and the music, the question ending on a light chuckle.

Tess looks down between them to their feet to make sure she's not tripping on his and then looks back up at him, hands in place with one in his and one at his shoulder. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

It has to be a Texan thing.

[aintyourdad]

"Where the hell did you grow up that you've never heard that figure of speech?" Joel asks with a faint twitch of his lips. Maybe it's a little old-fashioned. He wouldn't expect Ellie to know it, but Tess? Come on!

[oopsright]

Dare she point out the differences in not only their ages but the states of where they'd been brought up?

"Not on a damn pirate ship like you did, apparently," she snorts back, the topic of conversation getting her lips twitching back. "Christ - what do you take me for here?"

She's hardly drunk! Gosh!

[aintyourdad]

"Pirate ship? You really are drunk, Tess." Where the hell did she get pirate ship from?

Oh, well. He sends her into a gentle twirl.

[oopsright]

"I had the one drink!" she protests as she's sent into that twirl. She faces him with a scowling expression. "That's what few sheets to the wind's from. Pirates. Drinking. Being drunk. I get it."

Tess decides she's going to step on his foot now ("Oops -"), reaffirming: "I'm not drunk, Joel."

[aintyourdad]

"Ow." He gives her the most comically hurt little expression, his mouth twisting down in a frown, his eyebrows coming together.

"Not inspiring confidence," he points out. "Those heels are deadly."

[oopsright]

That little expression...

Tess isn't scowling, not anymore. She's holding back a bit of a laugh, twitching lips as she presses them together and resists turning his frown upside down. "I'm one hell of a deadly woman, Tex. Seems only appropriate."

[aintyourdad]

"I'm pretty sure no one's gonna attack you at a wedding," Joel remarks. "Besides, I thought we were partners."

You don't attack your partner. That's just rude.

[oopsright]

"You thought? I suppose we're partners." She supposes they could be, wouldn't kill them to be. "And anything can happen, shit can go wrong at a wedding, when you're sleeping, when you're taking a shit..."

[aintyourdad]

"You don't have to tell me what I already know," he murmurs, giving her another twirl. "Which is why you should take it easy on the champagne."

[oopsright]

Tess doesn't say anything as she's twirled. Not as she's pulled back in. She's quiet for a few long seconds. "You're always telling me to take it easy," she murmurs back, eyes lowered to his shoulder.

Something heavy's settled in her chest, the lightheartedness from earlier fading fast in the face of what they're trying to pretend doesn't exist.

[aintyourdad]

He stops, carefully bringing them to a halt. The music is changing again, anyway, and he glances aside for a moment.

She's right. He was always pestering her about it, in Boston. She kept pushing, all the time, needing more, needing work, movement, forward motion. He told her countless times to slow down, countless times she told him "after this next drop, this next meeting, after, after..."

And then she died.

"You gonna tell me I was wrong?" he asks gruffly.

[oopsright]

She has yet to remove her hand from his or to let her other hand slide off of his shoulder. They've stopped, they're at a standstill. Tess looks at him as he's glancing aside to study him so up close, the harder lines, the tiredness, the gray hairs in his beard.

"I get it, all right," she murmurs low between them, keeping her words quiet in hopes that the cameras don't pick them up. It's bad enough that they're standing there in the open while everyone's moving around them with the music. "I get it, I fucked up. I fucked up bad."

Now she's beginning to pull away, trying to clam up.

"What do you want me to say, Joel? I'm sorry? Well I'm sorry for dying."

[aintyourdad]

Why did she have to bring it up? Here of all places, but anywhere, really? Joel scowls, pulling away from her. Jesus Christ. I'm sorry for dying. Like he wanted the reminder. Like he wasn't fine just dancing with her like an idiot and pretending none of that bullshit happened.

"I didn't want you to say anything," he snaps. "Why the hell did you bring it up?"

He can't deal with it, and abruptly he turns to leave.

[oopsright]

The struggle she goes through on deciding to let him go or pull him back is short. Tess steps forward to make up for whatever step he takes as he's prepared to leave, reaching to grab onto his arm and stop him.

To try and pull him back around to face her.

"Don't."

[aintyourdad]

Don't? Don't what? Joel pauses, scowling down, first at her hand on his arm, then looking up to level that scowl right at her face. Jesus Christ. He thinks he's starting to get used to having her back, and then she goes and does something like this and he's reliving that terrible day in Boston all over again. Suddenly all he can see is the small broken thing that had been her body, in that pool of blood on the floor below.

"I need some air, Tess," he growls. "I'm not doin' this here."

[oopsright]

What he needs to do is talk to her. Acknowledge and accept that she's -

Tess' fingers bite into his arm. It should be a good thing that he hasn't tried to shake her off or shove her away.

"Fine." She lets him go and waits for him to turn away again, lead the way. If he wants to go then he can go, but she's going to be nipping at his heels.