Sherlock Holmes

I know I've already put this on the Homeless PM, I just think it's funny.

Dru cautiously walked over to the woman who had been ranting about recreating a universe or something, then thrown up. "You okay?" she asked the woman. Seom's grandfather, Lenare, walked over and made a face at the vomit (he probably didn't approve of it (though that wouldn't be a surprise)), then the mess disappeared. "Next time," he said in an amused tone to the woman, "avoid throwing up during weddings. It makes the newlyweds suspicious of your opinion of them." As he went back to the table, Dru heard him muttering, "I hate Soulcasting that sort of thing." "You okay, though?" Dru repeated to the woman. @Le Sigh

Though, to be fair, I did cast my vote in favor of the Jackal.

You literally just explained why he'd want to do it. *insert winky face emoji* Also, thousandth post was making fun of Ark and Woodrack! So worth it.

The Highprinces be like: The Lord Ruler's thoughts on how to make a successful society: Also... On a related note to some of our oldtimers:

"Because I love you," Tena said, trying to keep from smiling, and succeeding, mostly. "You're a kind, protective, wonderful person. And you aren't what you were." Just thinking of that, remembering him as he'd Lashed himself into the sky and began killing like it was a sadistic game to him, wiped the half-grin off her face. "Hey, you're a great person," she continued, to try and make him at least a little less sad. "As you are now. I don't care what you were like before as long as you remain my Ani as you are, okay?" @#Voidapple

Butt was not pleased.

Tena had heard what that girl had said, and immediately her face went cold. What had Hellbent done to her, and her siblings? "Hey," she said softly to Ani, "what's wrong? Did anything happen?" @#Voidapple

Tena turned and walked over to the table where her grandfather was sitting, then settled in an empty chair. Those two girls, Seom and Dru, went back to their original spots. "So, Travis," Tena said to her ex-boyfriend, "who's this?" She gestured at Seom. "My daughter," Travis said simply. Tena was confused. He has a daughter? Who's the mother? But wait, wasn't Seom my number-one name for that second girl I miscarried? "You used the name I was going to give to our daughter, if she hadn't died." Travis winced, and set his distinctly-blue hand on the table. "Yeah, I know. Sorry." Why does he sound so guilty? "This isn't a good sub--" Lenare interrupted. "No, wait, why was she calling you her grandfather?" Tena cut in. Did he decide to pretend that she was his granddaughter out of sympathy for Travis? But Travis never seemed terribly torn-up over the death, just as impassive and calm as ever. How did he manage? I was an emotional mess for a super long time. "Travis's parents didn't approve of her mother, and he had to work all the time, so I took care of her often after her mother died," Lenare explained in a reasonable voice. "As a favor for him keeping you out of trouble for those years." Huh. That actually made sense, and explained why Lenare hadn't found her up until a little while ago. Wait. He'd said that Seom's mother had died. Poor girl. Tena almost said it aloud, but old instincts held her back. Anthony is infecting me with his sincerity, isn't he. Thinking of him made her realize that she hadn't introduced him properly to Travis, so she called to Anthony, "Hey, honey, come over here. I want you to meet someone." @#Voidapple @Silva

But it's already been agreed that Shards are not included in the battle. So Vin doesn't have any back-up from Preservation. She's fighting on her own.

Tena strolled after her husband (yes, finally), not really caring where he went, just following. It didn't matter much, to her. *** Seom frowned at Anthony's behavior. He'd seemed just as happy as Tena. They loved each other? How could that be?

Dru started clapping, and gave Seom a look that made the tall woman start as well. Dru couldn't fathom why Seom was so unenthusiastic, with Tena beaming up at Anthony like her entire world had just been made right by having him as her husband. This is so big, Dru thought. It's really important to Tena and Anthony, why can't Seom just be excited? What sort of pessimist must she be? *** Seom found it a little irritating, to have to be clapping for something this small, but Dru had insisted. Seom also couldn't stand the way Tena was completely unaware of her surroundings, just staring up at her husband's face. Tena was a strong woman, so why did she want to subjugate herself to Anthony's will? She looked like she could take just fine care of herself, so why didn't she? Oh, right. Tena's stomach was seriously threatening to burst with the bulk of her pregnancy. Seom couldn't imagine how uncomfortable that must be, carrying around a baby for nine months non-stop. Maybe she just needed Anthony so he could take care of her baby after it was born. That would make sense. Almighty above, I still don't know why she's looking at him like that. I hope I never look at someone with as much warm fuzziness as she does.

Tena skated across the rink, speeding past Ani and spinning around. She grinned at him as she skated backwards, and he gave her a worried look. He was probably thinking that she could hurt the baby if she fell down, but Tena was too excited to be cautious, and she did have excellent balance. She turned back around to skate forward, looking around the rink. Nobody else was on the ice, and the clock in the corner told her that the open skate time was almost over. The two hours she’d been here with Ani had seemed to pass by too fast. This was maybe the third time she’d brought him to the rink, and he still couldn’t skate better than an ox dragging an overturned cart, but, it had been fun, and wonderful. Times with Ani were always those two things, and Tena still couldn’t forget that she’d been nearly alone before Ani had walked into her life and saved it. Saved her; given her love and given her someone to love. She slammed her skates sharply to the side as she reached the wall, sending a sheet of snow three feet into the air. She peered at the residue on the wall closely. She could’ve probably gotten it four or five feet up, but she hadn’t been going fast enough. She was about to start again to try for a higher spray when she saw Ani clumsily skating towards her. She grinned at how silly he looked: a full-grown, seven foot tall man tripping over his own feet on an ice skating rink. He looked up at her from his feet (she could’ve sworn she’d told him a thousand times to look in front of him, not at his feet), and she smiled at his expression, that of I love you. He had the best face to give her those looks, did he know that? He fiddled with something in his pocket, then managed to get it out without falling down. It was a little black box, and whatever details it had on it were inscrutable from her distance. He kept on skating to her, keeping from falling down for a few seconds before stumbling forward onto his knees. He didn’t hit as hard as usual, instead sliding to Tena. He opened that little box and faced it towards Tena. She gasped. Inside, a silver bracelet with turquoise gemstones embedded in it sat. She’d joked about getting married to Ani, and told him that if he wanted to propose, he’d have to get her something with silver and turquoise, but not a ring. Apparently he’d taken that to heart. Is this what I think-- no, hope-- it is? “Tena,” Ani said, his face steady, somehow calm, his voice firm and not stuttering. “Tena, I love you. Will you marry me?” An utter silence descended upon the rink. The guy who’d been walking to get the Zamboni out saw Tena and Ani, his eyes widening, then beat a quick retreat to the skate rental in the locker room. Tena had unconsciously brought her hands to her mouth, her eyes surprised and somewhat disgruntled. I-- I-- this is happening now? He’s really… no way. All the ways? Review your information and make a decision, her grandfather’s voice seemed to echo in her head. Well, she thought. Well, he’s a sweetheart and I love him. He takes care of me. He can be quiet when I need him to be, and he’ll do things for me even if he thinks they’re ridiculous. And I’ve known him a year, and he’s loved me the entire time. He didn’t reject me when he found out about my first baby. He brought me home when Kezeras broke out. He’s my baby’s father. He loves me. She had, of course, only one answer for him. “Ja mein Liebling.” Ani’s face became horrified and scared. He probably thinks I just denied him. No! No, get your act together, Tena, this is no time for jokes. “I mean yes. Yes, of course, my love. Yes a thousand times.” It felt like she couldn’t say yes enough. His face lit up in the most awesome way. Suddenly, Tena couldn’t move. She’d just accepted Ani’s proposal; they were going to get married. She was going to get married after so many years alone, without anyone who loved her. Nobody has ever loved me like Ani does, she thought. He’s practically Prince Charming compared to everyone else I’ve known. While she stood there, shocked, he knelt down. She lifted her left arm, and he took the bracelet out of its case and slipped it onto her wrist. She stared at it, shocked, then looked at Ani as he stood up. A sudden passion overtook her, so she leaped up and wrapped her arms around Ani’s neck, an instinct making her position herself so her abdomen didn’t hit anything. She pressed her mouth against his as he realized what was happening, then he put his arms around her and lifted her up a foot or so, kissing her back. His height was rusting inconvenient when she wanted to kiss him. They stood there for a minute, absolutely absorbed in each other, his strong arms holding her up as he barely kept from falling down. Tena didn’t have any thoughts for now, her whole mind was occupied with him, with how much she loved him and how she couldn’t kiss him long enough for her satisfaction. Then, eventually, she realized that the kissing could wait for a little later; the open skate time was over. “I think we’d better move, since the Zamboni guy has to do his job,” Tena said to Ani as she pulled away from him, reluctantly. He didn’t say anything, just let her down and followed her as she skated towards the locker room. Tena nearly tripped into the room, immediately walking over to the benches and sitting down, dragging the ice skates bag out from under the bench. She pulled off her skates and put them in the case, then leaned back on her hands, staring at the ceiling. She heard a crash as Ani stumbled into the room, and looked over at him, a small hurricane of love raging in her chest. He stood back up and wrestled his skates off, then put them in their bag. He walked over to the bench Tena was sitting on, then dropped down next to her. The wood of the planks screamed at the treatment, and Tena winced. Ani had to weigh a hundred pounds more than her, and she was fairly heavy because of her muscles and the fact that she was five-months pregnant, but he was also a foot and a half taller than her. He kissed her on the cheek, softly, and she grinned, somehow more pleased than usual. He kissed her all the time, but… was it more real now? It felt more real. She glanced at the bracelet on her wrist (it was beautiful, and just what she’d wanted), and knew that it wasn’t all a joke. She was going to get married. The love of her life, her baby’s father, was sitting next to her. And she was going to get married to him. The silence stretched too long. “So, who should we invite to the wedding?” she asked. He seemed indifferent, or maybe just in shock. “Everyone, I guess. We’ll just take Max and Althea’s route.” “Okay.” Another silence began its course, but Tena had so many things to say that she couldn’t keep quiet. She opened her mouth to tell him that she loved him, but instead… “I can’t wait for tonight.” Tena, why is that the first thing you think of? By the Sisters, you’re quite pregnant. But now that she thought about it, that’s not what she meant. She just wanted to be in Ani’s arms, asleep or not. “That’s the first thing you think of,” Ani said frankly, smiling at her with that wonderful smile of his. That smile that made her heart lift when she was depressed, that smile that made her feel like everything was alright, because Ani was there and would take care of her. “I’m tired,” she said innocently, and Ani grinned at her with that indescribable smile of his. I couldn't be luckier, Tena thought. I just couldn't. Tena zoomed by Anthony, and he paled. She was going so fast… what if she fell? Would it hurt the baby? He’d seen her ice skate before, and knew that she was good at it, but couldn’t help feeling nervous. Anthony had spent the last two hours sweating, building up courage. And, well, dramatic affect. He grinned slightly, his anxiety about the child melting away in the light of what he was going to do. It turned out he wasn't the best ice skater. His comparison for himself was that he was like a chasmfiend trying to act as an automobile. It wasn't a pretty sight. He started to skate towards her. Anthony was amazed at the last year, how it had gone. He loved Tena, and he had lived with her since he awoke. She had taken him places, and all the time, was the kindest person he knew. He loved her so much. So, so much. She was beautiful, and he was lucky-- no… the luckiest man in the world. And he felt ready to show her that. She’d made jokes, for months, about proposing to him. About them getting married. She’d told him that she liked turquoise and silver, but hated rings, that if he was going to propose to her he might as well get her a silver bracelet with turquoise bits. She’d practically made his plan for him. He struggled, attempting to get the bracelet in the box out from his pocket, into his hands. She was standing there, at the other side of the rink. He continued to clumsily skate over to her (she somehow managed to make it look easy, natural) while he got the box out. He picked up speed, and then, ten feet away from her, fell onto his knees. She wouldn’t be surprised by that; he’d fallen over many times in their time at the rink. He slid towards her, and opened the box, facing the bracelet inside toward her. She had grinned slightly as he fell. Not like it was abnormal, he had done that a lot. But this time was different. He slid like a bullet, gracefully, for a change. He could see the change in her face as she saw the bracelet, embedded with turquoise, and made of silver. She gasped, and her hands covered her mouth, she looked surprised, shocked. Almost scared. He wasn't sure if it was good or bad, or some combination. Her mouth was hanging open. Good? Bad? He couldn't stop sweating. And her eyes... wide, possibly panicked. What was she thinking? “Tena,” Anthony made his voice hard, firm. He couldn't stutter, it was too important now. “Tena, I love you. Will you marry me?” Silence descended. The man who had been getting the Zamboni out stared at them, eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He slowly paced backwards into the next room, like a cornered animal with a way out. She looked... happy? He thought so. That probably means yes, he thought. He hoped. Hope was all he had with his face sweating a waterfall, and his heart attempting to break out of his chest with a sledgehammer. “Ja mein Liebling,” she said. His face sweated more. He panicked. What does that mean. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? Then she continued, and her voice stilled his heart. “I mean yes. Yes, of course, my love. Yes a thousand times and more.” Anthony felt an overpowering wave of relief at Tena’s answer, and he broke into a smile. He tried to skate over to her, the blades slipping slightly, but luckily was able to stay standing for once. He had to, since Tena didn’t appear to be moving anytime soon. He knelt down as she proffered her left arm, took the bracelet out of its case, and slid it onto her wrist. She watched him doing it, seeming unable to speak further or meet his eyes. When it was done, Anthony stood back up straight again. He nearly fell over backwards as Tena attacked him. He almost started to defend himself, then he realized that she was kissing him, her arms wrapped around his neck. Is the baby alright? Yes, of course the baby’s alright. There’s something more important going on right now, focus on that. He wrapped his arms around her, lifting her so she had a better vantage, as it was the only way his sheer height didn't get in the way. He joyfully returned her kiss. They stood there, at the side of the rink, Anthony barely balancing on his skates, for a minute, completely absorbed in each other. Then, Tena pulled away and met his eyes, her own sparkling like diamonds, and seeming even more beautiful than usual. “I think we’d better move,” she said reluctantly, “since the zamboni guy has to do his job.” Anthony let her down, then followed her as she skated over to the locker room, her motions precise and graceful despite the weight of the baby, while he was sure that his own were worse than horrible. He'd done it. Hell, he'd actually done it. His memories still hadn't given back his first proposal, to his wife from before. He didn't have anything to base it this one off of, and that had scared him like hell. He grew angry at his past self for making him forget nearly everything. Bastard. Why did you have to do this? He knew it was illogical, who knew what would have happened otherwise? And anyway, Tena had hinted he wasn't the nicest person. He had more memories than he’d had when he’d woken up, about as many as the average kindergartener, but still. He pushed down the thoughts. DAMNATION I'M GETTING MARRIED. Oh, hell. Oh, HELL. He awkwardly half-fell, half-completely-washed-out onto the floor. He shoved himself up, tugging off the skates. Did I really do that? Did she really accept? He forced himself to look up, to her wrist. Yes. He sat down beside her, the wood screaming like a thousand lost souls. Well, more like one-half. Of a baby's. But still, his weight was huge compared to Tena's. She was so small he almost felt a gust of wind would blow her away. He felt heat rise in his cheeks. Being big came with a few advantages. And lots of disadvantages. He brushed his lips against her cheek, lightly. Her skin was soft. Really soft. How the hell did I start thinking about her skin? He forced his addled brain into a slightly more logical thought process. Well, attempted to. Anthony quickly discovered that it was difficult to make conversation right after proposing. He pulled off the skates Tena had bought for him, silently putting them in their bag. He sat there, next to Tena, feeling awkward for no reason at all. Then, Tena broke the silence. “So, who should we invite to the wedding?” “Everyone, I guess. We’ll just take Max and Althea’s route.” “Okay.” Another moment of silence. Tena shattered it again. “I can’t wait for tonight.” “That’s the first thing you think of,” Ani said to her, smiling. He knew that, for some reason, whenever he smiled like that, she brightened up. She became vibrant and even more beautiful, if that was possible. “I’m tired,” she said in that tone of hers, and Anthony grinned. She was wonderful.

Axelius smiled. He had been here for the momentous occasion. He clapped, slowly, as he reclined back in his spinny chair. "Well," he said, "here's to another two hundred fifty, guys!" He toasted the air with a glass of orange juice, and immediately regretted it.

Except for Ungoliant, who just eats all the Investiture and Vin.

Great gods above, there are a lot of words this guy needs to say to marry us. Really religious. But she didn’t really care how religious the guy was, as long as she could say that Anthony was her husband. He is. He’s my husband now. Okay. I’ve succeeded in life. I have the best husband. She breathed for a moment, looking straight in front of her, at Anthony’s suit, then took a half step forward and pressed her forehead against his the fabric of his shirt. She gasped out a little hurf, then stepped slightly away. I’d kiss him right now, but... She looked up, way up, to meet his eyes. That’s kinda impossible. She faintly wondered if she had to do anything else, but instead of asking, she just stood there and fought through a torrent of conflicting thoughts to get to her senses again. I guess this time Ani is going to have to do something. @#Voidapple

If Vin gets Atium, the Balrogs get Morgoth’s power reinforcement. Since we’re bringing up stuff that doesn’t exist anymore.

Tena felt like exploding. Or even imploding. Gorramn it. He just said yes. Oh Sisters, he said yes and that means that I’m married to the most kind, strong, wonderful man in the universe. Oh my god. Oh Almighty above. Her heart was pounding way high, but it had been like that fo the last couple of minutes, so she didn’t go crazy or anything. Anthony was smiling. He had the best smile. It was like sunlight in shadows, like a clean cold river in the mountains, like everything was fine and she could just relax because Anthony was there to help her. With his eyes and the rest of his face it became one of the best things she’d ever seen, or heard of, or anything, really. She couldn’t move, just stood and looked up into his eyes. Was the officiated going to say something, or whatever? She wasn’t thinking right. Oh my god. Oh my god. @Blessed peace @#Voidapple

Okay, fair enough. Geez, Brandon, just say it so we don't get these crazy theories in our heads!

I dunno. Maybe he tried really hard. I just think it's weird that all our non-virgin ladies in the Cosmere have been given birth.

I think it has to do with something about how much Investiture an individual has. Anyone ever notice that Vin never got pregnant, nor any Elantrian? That's my theory anyway.

Tena couldn't believe it. Had she just said it? Said yes? YES! Now, this means that he only needs to say one word. One word to make my entire life worth going through, just to be here. To hear him say it. That's all I need, really. I could just live quietly for the rest of my life, and raise our children (children? (maybe)) with him. Come on, Anthony. Just say it. That's all I need. I'll love you forever. She felt a little nervous, strangely, looking up into his infused-amethyst eyes, and grabbed one of his hands reflexively, then the other. His hands were rough, but they matched hers just fine, and having that calmed her easily.