Wedding

[Bunny]

The clearing was a holy place. An island surrounded by nothing but the holy and blessed corn, the presence of He Who Walks Behind the Rows was felt in every breath of air, every brush of the breeze, and in every corner of sight.

Isaac stood just beneath the hanging, rotting Blue Man, and took but a moment to close his eyes, and take comfort in the presence of his Lord.

And he would feel closer, he knew, when he performed a holy ceremony before the sight of God.

He waited for the affianced to come forward.

[Dot Dot Dot]

Ruth stumbled into the cornfield. Stumbled being the operative word, as she tripped over what was either her own legs or a pebble, not that it mattered since neither would be a testament to her grace, and landed flat on her butt.

"Ouch..." she mumbled, slowly rising herself and rubbing where the ground had collided with her, squinting. Suddenly, she became apparent of the presence of Isaac.

"GAW!" she gasped. She had wanted to see the wedding, since, like any girl - particularly the demure Gatlin children - she so looked forward to her own marriage. In her excitement, it had slipped her mind that Isaac would be there. And he had witnessed her wonderfully graceful exhibition.
Would he paste her up with the blue man? She was so clumsy, surely she was cursed. Maybe she couldn't be expected to bear good children. She hoped he didn't notice and scurried forward, settling herself several yards from Isaac, an awkward smile on her face. "Just...just wanted to witness the wedding."

[Sly Cooper]

Damon made his was through the bright green stalks of the holy, blessed corn. He saw his leader standing by the blue man, and he felt Rebekah's presence beside him. The corn field felt warm, but it's warmth was comforting, and the sun was almost up full in the sky. "Isaac, I hope we're not late for our own wedding. We lost track of time." He grinned, pleased, stomach full for the first time that day.

[Bunny]

"It's our wedding," Rebekah mumbled, kicking the ground ungratefully. "We can show up whenever we want."

Isaac dipped his head in acknowledgement of the arrival of the affianced. "You have arrived at the appointed time. Come forward, below the gaze of the offering upon the Lord, so he may bless your union as he is reminded of our servitude towards him."

Rebekah scurried forward.

"When we had first purged the unbelievers and hethens, three harvests ago, the Lord did come to me, me his servant and representative of his greatness his children, and spoke to me of his plan regarding his children. They are meant to look upon two beings with absolute love and affection. The first is He himself, the creator of all, he who sustains us even in the chill of winter, and blesses us in the heat of Summer. He Who Walks Behind the Rows.

"The second, the Other Beloved, is the spouse. The Lord wills us to look upon our other half, or blessed half, and see his blessing. To look upon his creation, as an extension of our very beings, and be awed.

"Rebekah, are you ready to enter into this union with Damon?"

"I'm ready"

Isaac looked towards Damon. "Are you ready to enter into this union with Rebekah?"

[Sly Cooper]

"I'm ready." Damon stood up strait and tall.

[esau12]

Esau walked ran into the cornfield, "ISAAC, ISAAC, I'VE GOT TO TALK TO YOU! HE WHO WALKS BEHIND THE ROWS, HE SPOKE TO ME!"

[Bunny]

Isaac reeled backwards as Esau flew from the cornfield. "Silence, blaspheme," he ordered, pressing his back against the legs of the rotted blue man in an attempt to distance himself from the marked Esau. "Your presence here does profane this holy place! You stand here as an insult to Him. Leave now, or you will find that my patience with you and your heathen ways has allowed for quite enough!"

[Dot Dot Dot]

"Oh no, Isaac's mad!" As if doing so would hide her, Ruth pressed herself close to the earth, stomach flat on the ground. If she wasn't certain that it would be completely pointless, she would have covered her eyes. After all, if she couldn't see them ---

But she knew that wouldn't work. She worried her bottom lip.

"Go away, Esau!" she shouted. "You're ruining the wedding! Isaac will have you killed!" And when he's done, he might be in a killing-mood, and have me slayed too!

[esau12]

Esau bent over, hands on knees, panting. Once he caught his breath, he rose and smiled. "You do not understand, Isaac. He Who Walks Behind The Rows has spoken to me. He has offered me power beyond yours, he has given me the authority to usurp you," Esau knew this would tick off his shortliness. "Do you understand?" Esau questioned.

The next words he spoke were spoken via yell, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND? HE DOES NOT LOVE YOU, HE IS WILLING TO THROW YOU OUT LIKE TRASH! YOU, ONE OF HIS MOST CHERISHED VICTORIES, WERE GOING TO BE OVERTHROWN! ONLY I, ONLY I SAW THROUGH HIS RUSE, I WILL NOT BE HIS VICTORY!" Esau waited for a response. But then he saw Ruth, Rebekah, and Damon.

"Forgive me on this day. But I speak the truth. He Who walks Behind The Rows is not God. He has corrupted you through Isaac. Listen to my words, for they speak the truth. He is not the true God." Esau finished.

[Dot Dot Dot]

Ruth yelped, and covered her ears. "Stop it!" she cried, wagging a scolding finger at the invader. "Y-you might make him mad... The corn is his domain, and he can -- like --- kill you with it!" She threw a wide, horrified glance at the cornstalks. "And he's holy. I've seen him myself! You're just a blas...blas... Whatever Isaac said!" She smiled at Isaac. Agreeing with him guaranteed no-death. For her, anyway.

Esau? Esau would have to take care of himself.

[esau12]

Esau heard the cries of Ruth. His heart filled with sorrow as he knew he could not do anything to console her at this moment. Instead he spoke, "Forgive me, Ruthie, please, I beg you, forgive me my sweet, sweet Ruthie," and sent her a gaze filled compassion and big-brother love.

[Sly Cooper]

Damon grabbed Rebekah's hand and then hid behind her. "Oh no, oh no. He's tainting out sacred place. He's tainting our wedding. What will happen to our marriage?" he uttered over and over to himself. He squeezed her hand and bent forward to hide his face on her shoulder. He hummed a soft tune trying to blur out the heretic's blasphemy, trembling slightly.

[Bunny]

"If you tainted my wedding or cursed my children, I'm going to kill you, Esau!" Rebekah shouted, whirling towards the boy and shaking a threatening fist through the air like other people would shake a maraca.

"Fear not, Damon," Isaac dismissed the groomsen's fears with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "He has poisoned is long before. It is strong enough to be immune to its toxin."

Then, he fixed a cold gaze onto Esau, a small smile appearing on his face. "The Lord came to me as well," he said complacently, "and more than just a mere voice as he was to you." He said this pointedly, tilting his head forward and staring up at the other boy, to drive this point home - he already knew. "He was a shape. It was He Who Walks Behind the Rows. I fell to my knees in awe, and hid my eyes from his glory. And he told me all that you just told me." He smiled, a small, smug, knowing smile. "He told me of your denial of him. Denying the greatest gift he could offer. Gifts he offered but for his love of his chosen children."

OOC: figure someone would want to interrupt here.

[esau12]

Esau's smile escaped from his face and his mouth dropped with awe. "How do I keep coming up behind?" He thought. "Gifts? Chosen children?" Esau began, "What is this blasphemy you speak of. Gifts of power, gifts of honorable sacrifice?" He stopped and turned to the wedding crowd. "Do you not see, are you so blind? Power is what corrupts, not mere age. Letting one's guard down to sin is what corrupts you. This beast has mislead you! The only reason he wants you gone so young is so that you do not come to your senses!" Esau pleaded to the group with all his heart, and yet he felt he did not have them.

"Is it not your duty as followers of faith to test all options, to determine that your ways are righteous?" With righteous, he turned and spoke to Isaac specifically. "What is justice in a world where you cannot speak freely without being cut down and told you are sinning?" With that question he stopped, hoping for Isaac to answer.

OOC: Crap is hitting the fan in corn town.

[Sly Cooper]

"If power makes us evil sinners..." Damon started off meekly like always, "then it makes sense to be cut down short. Children don't want power they see no use in it. but the adults... they are constantly having power struggles." He stopped and looked at Isaac and then turned away. "So our Lord isn't perfect. But as far as I can tell... neither is yours. He too is cruel to those that sin. Wars are fought over not just your God but others." He hushed himself, feeling foolish for speaking up.