♡In this Valentine's Special, we will see a flashback to Eila and Caia's wedding. The main group will not feature in it, but I thought it would be a nice little trip down memory lane to coincide with Valentine's Day.

This is quite long, because I didn't just want to show the ceremony, I wanted to show what the day as a whole was like.

WARNING: Mentions of PTSD, loss of family, hyperventilating.

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The Training Grounds had been freshly mowed, the faint smell of grass lingering in the air.
Black and red fairy lights, that were hung up on nearby poles and trees, swayed as they danced in the gentle wind.
Pearl white chairs sat in a uniform fashion, with green vines wrapped around the legs and backs of them.

A long strip of grass was left uninhabited by chairs.
This was where the couple would walk. In Plurg weddings, both individuals walk to the centre of the room or area. This is a long-held tradition that pays homage to the residents' roots. Although it is celebrated for its technological advances, Plurg started off as a small village with nothing but crops and a growing rate of poverty.

By walking to the centre, the couple are able to get amongst the crowd, showing that they see them as equals.
A tradition that is more tailored to the agency, however, is that one of half of the couple must where red, whilst the other wears black.

Aoife stood at the back, watching the sea of guests like a hawk.
She chose to wear an emerald green satin dress, with plum lipstick and black eyeliner in her waterline.
Her raven black hair was slicked back with gel.
The sophisticated hairstyle placed more attention on face.
Her pale white skin and piercing eyes made her look like angelic.
She chose not to wear too many accessories, as she didn't want to take attention away from the couple, but it was hard when many of the agents were used to seeing her in black.

In fact, no matter what she wore, her presence alone seemed to demand attention.
She had heterochromia—a condition which means you have two different coloured eyes.
One eye is blue, and the other is green. On first glance, you can't notice the colour difference, with both shades looking similar.
To be honest, even those who look closely can't tell, but that's mainly because they are too enamoured by her.
One look in her eyes and it's easy to forget how to speak.

Many of her superiors had urged her to use this to her advantage, but she preferred to use her intellect to render them speechless.

Too focused on observing the crowd, she failed to notice the man looking at her, with a sort of hunger in his eyes. He wore a black tuxedo with
a red tie—a combination chosen to gain favour with the agency.

"Aoife Gardenium", he said, his voice as smooth as silk.
It wasn't a natural charm though, more of an overconfident attempt at appearing likeable.

Aoife pressed her lips together, gathering up all the strength she could, so that she wouldn't roll her eyes.
She plastered on a smile, before turning to face him.

"Dovakhinj Harrowford", she replied. "We're delighted you could make it."

"Well, I would never pass up an invite to an agency wedding.
Especially seeing as we are working so closely now."

Aoife's smile faltered, and she clenched her jaw.
Her indifferent gaze turned into a cold glare.
After a few seconds, she gently shook her head, and smiled again.

"Yes, of course."

"How is your agent?
Miss Alami, was it?"

"I'd thank you not to mention her name at a public event.
We are still keen to keep this arrangement... under wraps."

The man smirked.
"Of course, of course.
I appreciate how delicate these things can be."

Aoife just nodded.

His eyes wandered down to her dress, and they soaked up every inch of her body, a mischievous look appearing in his eyes.

"I must say, you are looking rather beautiful, Miss Gardenium."

Aoife felt another eye roll coming, but she just smiled again.

"Thank you."

Her blunt tone matched her response, emphasising to Mr. Harrowford that he would not be getting a compliment in return.

He took several steps closer to her, his eyes never tearing away from her dress.

"Would you like to dance, Miss Gardenium?"

Aoife lifted her head up slightly, before crossing her arms.
She waited for Mr. Harrowford to avert his gaze back up to her face.

"There will be a chance for everyone to dance later."

"Oh, what's the harm in dancing now?
A prized possession as beautiful as you should not be kept hidden back here."

Aoife clenched her jaw and moved her hands behind her back, balling them into fists.

"This day is not about anyone other than Caia and Eila.
If you would like to dance, you can do so with everyone else, after the ceremony."

Aoife was not one to mince her words, and this occasion was no exception.
She suppressed a smirk as she watched the squirming man search for a response.

"Head Guard, Aoife", said Knox, approaching them.
"Head Guard Calihan requests your help."

Aoife turned to Mr. Harrowford. "Excuse me, I have urgent matters to attend to."

The man opened his mouth to respond, but Aoife had already started walking away with Knox.

"What has happened?", she asked.

"Nothing.
I just thought you'd want an excuse to get away from him", said Knox.
"You've got an incredible amount of patience to deal with him."

Aoife's eyes widened in surprise.
She couldn't help but laugh, her whole facing lighting up as she smiled.
Very few people could make her laugh in this way, but they were all members of the agency.

"Well, in that case, I should thank you."

"No need to thank me.
The fact that you were giving him the time of day told me he must be an important ally for the agency.
Still, couldn't stand by and watch your brain cells melt the longer you spent with him."

Aoife laughed again.

"I fear he will try the same moves on Omara.
I am well aware that she can handle her own, but I don't want her day to be ruined as well.
She loves a wedding."

Knox nodded.
"I'll keep an eye on him.
Head Guard Calihan also told me to tell you that he'll happily stand in if that man wants to ask anymore questions."

Aoife smiled at this.
She had worked along side Calihan for a while.
Many people had suggested that there was something more going on between them, whilst others believed they had more of a sibling-like bond.

The pair would liken their bond to that of long-term friends who had mutual respect for each other though.

There was no space in Aoife's life for romance.

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    ♡

Finian's broad shoulders and muscle definition made him look intimidating in any outfit.
His blue shirt clung to his biceps, threatening to rip at any moment.
His black waistcoat was a snug fit, and the white boutonnière tied the outfit together.

Imelda straightened Finian's tie, grinning as Finian stuck his tongue out at her.

From across the room, Astra and Oren watched the pair.
Astra gently shook her head.
"Man, when are those two gonna get together?
It's obvious that they're into each other."

"Hey, you can't talk—you haven't told Sophia you like her!"

Astra's eyes widened.
"Wh-what?
Where'd you get that idea from?"

Oren raised his eyebrows and folded his arms.
"Astra, anyone can see that you have a crush on her!
I can practically see the hearts in your eyes when you look at her."

"Oh, we talkin' 'bout Astra's massive crush on Sophia?", asked Imelda.

Oren nodded.

"Yep, babe, you got it bad."

Astra's eyes widened.
"No I don't!"

"Can't lie, I'm terrified to go into your room in case I see a shrine dedicated to her or something", admitted Finian.

"It's true, he made me come with him when he needed to borrow toilet paper from your room", revealed Imelda.

Finian nudged Imelda's ribcage, although he took extra care not to use a lot of force.

"You guys must be reading way too many romance books.
We're friends.
Sophia's my partner."

Imelda raised an eyebrow, before turning to Finian, who had the same expression on his face.
They broke out into smiles, before raising their hands up.

"Whatever you say", said Imelda.

Astra scoffed in disbelief when the pair turned around again, before looking at Oren, who was chuckling.

"Oi, hypocrite.
When are you going to tell Faizah you like her?"

Oren's eyes widened, and he suddenly became shy.

"Come on, mate.
You've fancied her for years."

"She's still recovering from the attack her best friend let her walk straight
into!"

Astra's face softened.
"You're still mad at Alessa?"

"She could've killed, Faizah!
I just... these past few years have been tough.
I feel like I've lost one of my best friends."

"You haven't.
She's still the same Alessa."

"You don't know the full story, Astra."

♡
♡♡♡
♡

Caia stood in her room, in front of her mirror.
Her hair was straightened, with a blue jewelled headband to add a pop of colour to her look.
Her lips were a ruby red, and her rosy cheeks added some colour to her pale face, although the blush came from her nerves, rather than makeup.
She wore a velvet black jumpsuit with a plunging v-neck.
The sleeves were made of lace, with pieces of fabric flaring out at the wrists.

Excitement and nerves bubbling away at her, Caia reached for the small black box on her dressing table, and she rubbed her thumbs against the soft fabric around the box.

A knock on the door, followed by a soft voice, pulled Caia away from her thoughts.

"Caia?
Are you ready?"

When Caia turned around, her eyes met with Oren's.
He gasped, his eyes lighting up, and a bright smile slowly appearing on his face as he looked at Caia.

"You look amazing!"

Caia smiled.
"Thank you.
You don't think it's too much, do you?"

Oren shook his head.
"It's perfect."

Caia exhaled sharply, before nodding.

"It's normal to be nervous, you know."

"I'm not nervous."

Oren raised an eyebrow.
"Caia, I've been your partner for ages.
I can tell when you're nervous."

"Yeah, well, I think I'd prefer a high stakes mission right now.
Atleast I'm trained to deal with them."

Oren's face softened, and he took several steps towards Caia.

"I know you're worried that you're rushing into this."

"Well can you blame me?
We've only been dating for two years! And, even before that, we spent most of our time in therapy sessions together.
What if, all this time, it's been our trauma that's brought us together, not our love?"

Oren was taken aback by Caia's confession.
He knew it was common for people to get cold feet on their wedding day, but this seemed like a much deeper issue.

"Have you told Eila how you feel?"

Caia shook her head.
"No.
I know she feels the same way though."

"Well... when I look at your relationship, I feel so happy.
I've always dreamed of marrying my best friend one day."

"She's not my best friend though, Oren", said Caia.
"We haven't gotten to know each other enough for us to be best friends yet."

Saying it all out loud forced Caia to realise just how much doubt she had kept hidden.
Did she love Eila?
Yes.
So much.
But that wasn't enough!
What if they couldn't agree on something in the future, and they failed to communicate their needs, continually bottling their frustrations up until it all erupted in a massive row?

What if Eila decided she wanted to move back to Agoraville?

What if Caia's job became too much of a burden for Eila?

"Caia? Caia, what's wrong?"

Caia looked up at Oren, a panicked expression covering her face.

"I think I've made a mistake."

♡
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♡

Eila stood in the room where she and Caia first met.
It was just a regular room, with chairs, tables and a computer.
Random decorative pieces and pictures were spread out across the room.

The room hadn't changed much at all.
But the people in the therapy sessions sure had.
Some made more progress than others, and some had to jump over more hurdles than others, but they all made it out the other side.
It didn't mean that every day wasn't still  a struggle though.

Eila still couldn't stand people running towards her.
She first realised when she was on her way to attend her first therapy session.
An alarm had rung out, and a big group of agents ran through the halls, to help out with a particularly urgent mission.

The loud noises and frantic running took her back to that day.
The day she had to leave her home.
She didn't know if she'd make it.
All she knew was that she had to run.

Then, when Caia deduced what was going on, she sat with her for the whole day, just listening to her tell stories about her childhood.
About all the happy memories.

It was the first time she had ever connected with someone outside of Agoraville.

"Eila?
My goodness... you look marvellous!"

Eila quickly turned around, a small smile appearing on her face when she saw Calihan.

"Oh!
Thank you."

She wore a red dress that clung to her body, perfectly outlining every curve.
Her sleeves were made of lace, and reached just above her elbows.
A long red cape draped along her back.
Her eye makeup was dark, glittering smoky eyes and her dark black lipstick matched.
Her hair was loosely curled, with a few front strands of hair tied into two small braids.

"I understand that it is a tradition in Agoraville... to have a member of your family walk with you down the aisle."

Eila felt a sharp pain in her chest, which dulled down after a few seconds, but the aching feeling that remained was far stronger.

She didn't have anyone to walk with her.

"Yes... but we can miss out that tradition."

Calihan shook his head.
"No, we most definitely cannot.
I know no one can ever replace your parents... but I would love nothing more than to walk with you."

Eila looked up, her eyes widening.
She searched his face for any sign of this being a joke, or for a glimpse of pity—nothing.

"Y-You... you would really walk with me?"

Calihan nodded, tears forming in his eyes.

"We're a family, Eila.
We're not the one you were born into, or even the one you chose... but we're the one you have touched deeply.
Your kindness, your strength...we may have only known you for a short time, but you have done more for us than you could possibly imagine."

Eila felt a lump form in her throat.
She placed her hand to her neck and gently massaged it, before coughing a little to clear her throat—something her mother used to do.

"So...what do you say?"

"I would love for you to walk with me."

♡
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♡

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Hi!

What do you think of Aoife's interactions this chapter?

Please give me feedback on the descriptions, I tried to be more detailed!

Was there anything that interested you?

What are your thoughts so far?

I hope you enjoyed it!

DoodleYeet

LeMystical-Puffle

ruesbennett

SoniczurcX

bardsarethebest