Till Death (or Liftoff) Do Us Part

[cityship]

Once Domalai made sure the crew was fully informed of what was expected of them in the upcoming rituals, he showed them over to where the Rituals of Judgement and Joining would be performed.

As they neared the gate that led into the city of Orongo, they could see many other people milling about, waiting for their turn to undergo the rituals themselves. The crew, of course, being a special case, are moved to the front of the line. Thankfully, everyone seems to be in a good enough mood that no one puts up a fuss about it.

The first area they were brought to had a simple stone circle, around which were three smaller circles. Two Moai priests were waiting there as they approached, and Domalai moved over to join them before speaking up.

[ooc: wait for subthreads to go up]

[ooc2: Ready! Tag away!]

Comments

The Ritual of Judgement

[cityship]

Domalai turns back to address the crew.

"Here we shall begin the sacred Ritual of Judgement. Those who pass shall be permitted to proceed to the next ritual, the Ritual of Joining. Once both rituals have been completed, you will be permitted to enter the city."

He looks over at Cargn.

"Since your friends seem to be a little nervous about the rituals, my friend, would you like to start off first?"

Re: The Ritual of Judgement

[daemonomicon.livejournal.com]

Cargn smiles and nods.

"Very well."

He moves to the center of the stone circle, relaxing his shoulders.

"I am ready to begin."

The Ritual of Joining

[cityship]

Those who passed the first ritual were directed to another area, where many others were there, undergoing the next ritual.

They could see each couple was wearing some kind of ceremonial garb, crafted from fibers pulled from the vine of some indigenous plant. They could also see the couples painting designs on either themselves or their partners, using some kind of luminescent mixture of local fruits to cover their exposed skins with swirling designs.

They could also see some couples undergoing the ritual itself. They knelt facing each other in front of one of the many Moai priests present, holding each others hands. The priests chanted for their respective couples, and lights, similar to those experienced during the previous rituals, softly glided around the couples, each light intertwining with the others. Shortly, the rituals were over, and each couple was directed towards the entrance to the city beyond.

The crew was directed to where they could change into similar suits, and given bowls of the same luminescent body paint they had seen other couples using.

Once they had finished changing and applied the glowing mixture (either to themselves or their partners), each couple was told to approach one of the priests awaiting them, ready to perform the ceremony for them.

[ooc note: feel free to thread out as much of it as you want, and have fun!]

[badassfreakingoverlord]

"Uh... you may need to apply this yourself," Zetta said, looking at the bowl in irritation.

Re: The Ritual of Joining

[teethofneedles.livejournal.com]

After a moment of consideration, Karis went to track down Kang.

"Hey, dragon guy. C'mere. I've got a little proposal for you."

Ronnae and Billy

[morphitudinous]

Billy could hardly believe it. If he'd been told back in Angel Grove that the world was going to end and that he'd be married at 17, he'd almost be more disbelieving of the wedding news. But there they were, Billy and Ronnie, preparing to wed each other for the chance to complete this critical mission.

He was almost relieved when he parted with her to dress, giving himself some time to calm his mind and prepare. What he'd seen outside had awed him: this, for the people not on a mission to save the universe, was a true expression of love. It was going to be a beautiful farce for them, but...for Billy, at least, the feelings were there. Maybe he could still salvage this.

Once dressed and carrying the paint in his hand, he was directed to find Ronnae again. Where was she?

Re: The Ritual of Joining

[8wings.livejournal.com]

Anwei was not particularly body-modest, but she wasn't too thrilled on turning in her (useful, comforting) plantsuit for an outfit considerably scantier, but still made out of plants. She took the bowl of glowing fruit-pulp in both hands (it smelled delicious, but she had no idea what was in it) and thanked the one who had offered it to her.

Then she stood for a moment, at a loss. She had no idea how to go on from here. She'd never been very good at talking to people - socializing was a painfully learned skill from her childhood that she had been happy to unlearn.

Maybe if she painted a target on her forehead? Or wrote HELP WANTED?

Lash and BEastboy

[thewunderkind]

Oh great, why was she nervous? This was just a simple dumb ritual, right and it wasn't really legal except in this world, right, and aergath the entire Black Hole COs would have been laughing at her, Kindle first. She could almost picture the annoying ketchup haired harpy's voice laughing at her right now. And it made her very irritated.

"HRRRGH!" She let out loud, looking over the outfits. "You know, I think I would rather that we did go to that place for the gas and gum like you mentioned before."

Re: The Ritual of Joining

[notsaintkaiser.livejournal.com]

Vivio? Felt ridiculous. This wasn't what she had in mind in any sorts of weddings. Whatever happened to those weddings like in TV shows and movies? Apparently they didn't have them here.

Shuffling around, she held her bowl, looking for a certain someone.

[thunder-ace.livejournal.com]

Fate looked considerably less nervous or unhappy than most of her companions. She wasn't completely okay with this whole situation, and she really wished they could at least have given them a heads up beforehand... but even if it was temporary, she really liked the idea of getting married to Nanoha.

So the smile on her face when she stepped out of the changing area was one hundred percent genuine, though the joy gave way to curiosity when she looked down at the bowl she was given, then up to Nanoha.

"Do you want to skip this part, or...?"

[voiceofserenity.livejournal.com]

Kaylee tugged nervously at the hem of her dress, careful not to spill any of the paint on it. While it was kind of nice to be all dressed up for this, she missed her coveralls something fierce already. This wasn't like dressing up for a job back home, this was getting married on a strange planet in a strange dress to a strange fantastic guy. Sometimes, the comfort of old coveralls was nice for something as nerve-wracking as this.

At least her plantsuit had stayed, though in its shrinking down it came out, embarrassingly enough, to what probably looked like a garter. Oh boy.

Cup of paint in hand--really, she was kind of looking forward to the paint part--Kaylee began the search for Dean.

Reimi and Howard

[iselldrugstothecommunity]

Well, this just looks kooky.

Howard stands awkwardly in his ceremonial garb, painting the little swirls and trying his best to act nonchalant. He doesn't know this girl. And even though this won't matter at the end of the trip, it's still profoundly weird. He feels like they ought to mount a pig head on a stake, a feeling he hasn't felt since he left the FAYZ and woke up on Stacy.

"So, hi. I'm Howard."

Feldt and Setsuna

[pinkbridgebunny.livejournal.com]

Now this is where Feldt got rather nervous. She was able to keep it hidden, since she was able to hide a lot of things. She quietly changed into the garb that she was provided with. She wanted to finish this mission and be able to prove to herself that she could do something like this.

She looked over at Setsuna once she had finished changing. It was time to paint the designs and she knew that she would need some help.

Re: The Ritual of Joining

[saint-sami.livejournal.com]

She made it in. She passed. Now was the hard part - she had to get married.

For Sasami, it just seemed seven kinds of awkward. True, she's older than most of the crew, but at the same time, she's a kid. And she was getting married just to get into a city.

Having changed into the clothes given to her, Sasami started hunting down a certain someone...

Phillip and Hoshi

[radiantcourage.livejournal.com]

Hoshi took notes for what the couples were wearing while feeling suddenly...girly. She never considered herself girly and the nervousness was apparent. Still, she would try to go through with this. After all, she passed the Ritual of Judgment, so she'd be able to get through with this.

She tilted her head at the dress she was given before deciding to go change into it. This entire thing felt so awkward to do, but no matter what, her heart was hammering against her chest.

When she was finished dressing up, she noticed the scars on her arm being shown. No matter what, she wasn't ready for them to be exposed just yet. She quickly shook her head and looked at the paint they were given. Sighing a little to calm herself down, she went in search of Phillip with it in her hands.

[dared-to-love.livejournal.com]

Ophelia picked at her plant...dress... thing. She didn't mind that it was revealing, she just never pictured herself getting married in such a get-up. Although, she had never pictured herself getting married at all.

She wondered what Eddie would think of this whole show, and that in turn led to her picturing him all dressed up in this planet's weird marriage garb and covered in body paint. And that? That was hilarious. She couldn't help herself- she burst into hysterical laughter, almost spilling her bowl of paint all over Jaime.

"Haha, oh man, sorry," She said as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm not laughing at you, I swear."

Kon and Axl

[gunslinging.livejournal.com]

As he looked over the clothing he'd just changed into, and the bowl of paint he'd been given, it occurred to Axl that this didn't really match up to anything he'd ever heard about how getting married was supposed to work. Which made sense, really -- who knew how far away from earth they were at this point, so it wasn't like he expected anything to work the same way, but...

...well, as long as nobody was expecting him to know what the hell he was doing.

"Well, at least it doesn't look like it'll clash with my hair too badly," he joked.

Hiccup and Astrid

[astridhofferson.livejournal.com]

It's official — this place is out to get her. Wear her down.

Astrid's "something is reeeallly wonky here" radar went off and her suspicions peaked.

There was something... so... dirty about this public painting display, and the blonde girl spent a long silent moment just staring at the paint in both hands, not knowing what the hell to do with the gunk.

Well, until she let out a brief nervous chuckle before she finally and boldly said, "...granted, Vikings have their share of," kinky, "... outrageous traditions, Berk stretched away from most of it, hah..."

Their blank expressions told her they didn't get her humor. Yeeeah.

Hn. For the mission, she reminded herself.

Taking one last glance at the paint, she lifted her head and looked listlessly at the Moai, pointing at Hiccup. "...Do I—do I just...?" And she makes light motions with the paint container, uncertain if she should just lob the entire paint all over him in one throw, but more than ready to get it in one throw.

Half-serious, half-teasing and half-just-wanting-to-throw-paint-on-him. Very mature, Astrid.

Jamie and The Doctor

[bonnypiperlad]

Jamie looks down at his garb and gives the hem an experimental tug, a rather disgruntled expression crossing his features. While it wasn't a dress - and he was extremely grateful it wasn't - it still wasn't right. He always thought if he would be married it would be in full great kilt, with a bonny lassie waiting for him. Not in some other plantsuit with a pot of glowing paint and him marrying the Doctor.

Zoe would be laughing herself silly if she were here. He wouldn't actually blame her if she did. He feels ridiculous. But they had both passed the test, and the priests had made it pretty clear that there was no way out of it at this point.

With a sigh, he takes up the paint and starts through the crowd. Time to go find the Doctor and get this over with.

[dhianeila.livejournal.com]

Running her hands over her newly acquired outfit, Dhianeila made sure to take close, considerate looks at it before actually putting it on. Any little stitch or pattern - the ritual of marriage on the planet was certainly something she'd never seen before, so she was interested in more than simply going through with this for the sake of a mission. If she had to do this, she might as well learn more about the ways of the people.

The mixture was certainly interesting, too. And cute, she thought. The idea of the sort of bond being made by creating a pattern on one's partner, nothing expected so the end results for every couple would vary. She figured she had a good idea of most peoples' intentions, so wondered if the patterns on the other crewmembers would resemble intentions of the mission.

Re: The Ritual of Joining

[curiousredsoul]

Celena as ever took her time to satisfy a measure of her curiosity in watching a number of other couples in their own joining rituals. Ones she herself would be participating before long, she couldn't help but give a soft smile at the thought. She couldn't think of anyone better for such a joining.

Collecting the bowls of body paint she carefully carried it along with her with a small measure of telekinesis as she cast her gaze in search of the particular Wizard. One that lingered in her thoughts many a time these last few weeks. She had come to greatly like the elf and his ways, reminding her so much of herself and her own ever great curiosity.

Samus and Chief

[gogopowersuit.livejournal.com]

Samus felt a little... exposed in her "wedding dress." Yes, she usually wore skintight latex sexy suits tighter clothing, but it didn't reveal her skin. Here, her scars were in full view, and the burns that ran up and down her cannon arm could be seen by the whole world. It dawned on her that she was totally and completely out of her element.

She fiddled with the bowl of paint, starring down at it for awhile, before she decided that she might as well just take the plunge right now. She looked up to locate her "fiance."

Alastirra and Jamie

[riseupnchargem.livejournal.com]

He still doubted this was the kind of "trial" Alastirra had envisioned when she'd volunteered to help him out - it certainly hadn't been what he'd been expecting - but here they both were, regardless. Jamie was waiting for his partner when she emerged from her changing room, near where they colored dyes were being distributed. He gestured to them peremptorily, feeling uncomfortable in his tight and revealing new suit and self-conscious about the ritual to come.

"...well. Guess we should get on with it, huh?"

Megamind and Roxanne

[neveradamsel]

She hadn't been able to join up with him again after the first ritual. Instead, she had been pointed in another direction where she was given an unfamiliar garb to slip over her plant suit, and to try to make herself at least presentable. She was getting married, after all.

Except it wouldn't really count, right? Right. At least, that's what she told herself.

Once she was satisfied with the state of herself, she hesitantly made her way out into the crowd, paint in hand, searching for her 'fiance'.

Take Two - Sasami/Negi/Hit Girl

[saint-sami.livejournal.com]

For some reason, Sasami should have known something like this would happen. Turns out Negi didn't run off - he got separated and accidentally slipped into the city. Now to make sure he didn't get in trouble (and the rest of them), Sasami and Mindy went and dragged him back to get him into the ritual.

"I'm glad we found you when we did..." Sasami said.