The reception was held in the same venue.
While the place was being rearranged, the guests were invited to look around the gardens and socialize.
While the bride and groom talked with most of the guests, they hang around more with their families and friends. Beany and Althea’s eyes met and they smiled, knowing their gap had narrowed again somehow. He then ventured off to help entertain their guests, knowing what they were like.
"This is amazing," Althea told her friends, especially to Winona and Sheila who helped with the program a lot. "Thank you."
"It’s nothing. We were happy while we were doing it," the blonde said, waving her hand casually. She didn’t forget to fawn on her dress for the nth time though. "Sigh, it really suits you. Andrei is such a talent…"
"It’s very comfortable, too," Althea added with a smile.
"Fortunately, you wore white, since it’s getting hotter," Sheila added, carefully wiping her face and then fanning herself with the handkerchief. Now that she mentioned this, the others also felt the same.
"I thought it was just me."
"Anyway, it’s cool enough under the shades of the trees…"
"You’re right, you’re right."
The group moved under the canopy of the nearby tree. They also received a lot of greetings from the guests and they acted like proper hosts under the shadow of the canopy.
They continued to chat until everyone started sweating more and more.
Garan took out a clean handkerchief in his space and gently dabbed the sweat away from Althea’s forehead, but very gently, knowing it could mess the make-up. He ended up hugging her closer to him with a hand as he did so though.
Althea smiled and sighed, thanking him, though she did gently pat his hand, in an attempt to take some of his body heat off her (he was too warm, which wasn’t good in this weather). "The temperature is increasing. Is it summer?"
"Is it?" Another mumbled. "Probably, right?"
At this, both Althea and Garan couldn’t help but pause in thought.
Xeno actually only had temperate weather in most areas. That, or the annual harsh weather.
They blinked, certain thoughts on the verge of dawning—
Before they could explore it though, they were greeted by Garan’s team, who were smiling widely at them. "Congratulations, captain!"
Garan nodded, unable to keep his hands off his wife’s waist in the end, and Althea could only succumb to the added heat.
"I hope you enjoyed the party," he said. Garan knew it had been a while.
The soldiers knew this and sniffed a bit. "It had indeed been too long," Mao said, heaving a deep breath. Loki beside him looked melancholic as well.
"I remember back in Terran, I abhorred events like this," he said, in classic introvert fashion. "I found them boring and a waste of the little time I have in civilization.
"Now… I hope there’s more."
They smiled, and someone patted his shoulder. "There should," Mao said. "Maybe we’ll get you a wife."
Loki rolled his eyes, making everyone chuckle.
Plaridel watched his friends and smiled, feeling a complicated mix of melancholy and nostalgia. "In contrast, my family culture’s the opposite," he said. "Our weddings are extremely social, even guests perform in weddings, dancing solo or duet performances just because they could."
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