599 - I'm Hungry Now

Jia has a fancy scarf wrapped around under his eyes and over his tentacles, tied in a big fancy bow.  It’s green dots on silver. Little dots and he’s matching the pattern. It’s the same as my suit and I’m a big enough boy that I get to stand up with Kallijas.

I’m standing next to Minis and Jia’s being good.  Laisa’s grandmother said that the animals should come, as long as they didn’t shen on anybody.  Doof is tied by one foot to his perch in Minis’s room with the door closed so he doesn’t find his way out to the Temple and shen all over the bride.

I can see Nuni in the audience and he’s making faces at me to make me giggle at the wrong times, but I won’t.

Kallijas’s little brother is bemas, and he looks a lot happier with his big brother than he used to.  He has the fancy vest with all the tiny pockets in it to carry all the stuff the groom needs.  

Chefenga looks good as first attendant, though it's funny to see the black curls.  Skorsas is perfect next to him, and Niku is dark and the silver attendant's dress makes her stand out on Laisa's side.

I poke Jia to make him be still as the white and pearls and silver wedding dress that’s all over Laisa steps up to our line of men… though I’m still just a boy… Idiesas is behind me.  His armour is all green and white.

The square is packed shoulder to shoulder and everybody sighs when Kallijas the younger escorts his new step mama, Laisa, to make her bows to the Fenjitzas and Fenjitza and they show her to Kallijas.  He looks really calm but he was just saying to Minis that he was scared spitless!  He’s just fooling.  He’s gotta be fooling.  Minis just smiled and gave him water with calming stuff in it from Akminchaer.

Minis is looking a little funny.  I guess because he’s thinking about getting married himself now that he’s asked Ky all right and proper.  She’s over with the bride’s women… all of them wearing silver.  We boys are all in green.

Kallijas takes hold of the top layer of the wedding dress and it's floating off over her head like she’s under a round sun-shield for a klick and because he’s other-handed the pure white layer glides off over to land in the crowd on that side, where it’s picked apart before it falls down below shoulder high.

I like that.  I’m going to like it better when its all done and we get to eat.  The public halls of the Marble Palace are all open and have tables and tables and tables of food.  Jia put a couple of tentacles on my head from my shoulder, adjusting his bow.  I guess he likes it.  The second dress/veil thing comes off and goes off to the other side of the outside crowd and Kall and Laisa step into the Temple.

A High Temple wedding.  Imperators and Regents only got to use the Temple once, but Chefenga changed that.  Anybody who makes a big enough donation can get married in the Temple. The wedding procession goes down the aisle on the carpet that raises her feet off the tile… she’s going to be Regent Imperatrix till my brother ascends.

This is going to take all day and I’m hungry now.  Minis puts his arm around me and Jia pokes me in the head again.  It’s an Imperial wedding and it's going to take all day all day all day.  I must have sighed.  I take a deep breath and stand straight.  I’m gonna honour my buddy Kallijas and his boy who’s bigger an’ older n’ me and he looks like his dad and isn’t slouching and sighing.

But I’m hungry now.