most people don't have to do this twice.

[dogbitesman]

As parties went, it had been mostly unremarkable on the larger scale; another of the large gatherings that took place from time to time, notable mostly because it was Festivity in the Face of Fear or some such

Comments

[dishabille_mal]

"I think I pulled another stitch dancing with Harkness," Maladicta muttered, one arm crossed over her chest, gently plying at the fabric of her dress with her fingertips over the bandage.

"I thought stitches were supposed to... to stay where they were."

[headline_maker]

Sacharissa stepped closer, reaching to take Maladicta's hands in her own. "Marry us," she said simply, hopefully. "Say you will." Now the nerves hit in earnest. Where her own acceptance must have seemed a certain thing -- she'd already said yes in another universe, hadn't she? -- nothing about this was sure at all.

[dogbitesman]

William's thoughts were on a simlar track. And saying 'yes, what she said,' seemed like it would lessen the impact, some, so William simply hovered and waited to see what Maladicta would say next.

[dishabille_mal]

Maladicta looked back and forth between them two more times. She didn't say anything. She couldn't think of anything to say.

Well, there was the obvious. But that needed a minute.

She pulled in a silent breath, trying to force enough oxygen to her brain to make it start working again. Marriage. She had Thoughts on marriage, although to be fair, her own parents may have had some influence on it, though not in the way they'd thought. Marrying William had crossed her mind, before, over the course of... things, but once Sacharissa had joined the equation, well, that had made more sense the idea of matrimony necessarily did.

Also, there were three of them.

She squeezed Sacharissa's hand a little, but looked to William.

"...Isn't there supposed to be jewelery involved in this conversation?"

[dogbitesman]

William stared at her.

Then he rounded on Sacharissa. "See?!"

He sat down and and rested his head on one hand, regarding Maladicta again. "I'm working on it. Can't you just ... imagine?" He sat up and looked around the room. "Hang on, I've the bag of gems around here somewhere, if you need to see something sparkle."

[headline_maker]

"Well, it isn't as if I planned that part," Sacharissa said dryly, eyebrow lifting. Slipping a hand into her pocket, she felt around for the ring that had caused so much trouble. She walked over then and placed it in William's hand. "If you don't mind it serving a slightly different purpose."

[dishabille_mal]

Maladicta was already laughing, though.

"Stop, stop it," she told the both of them, and walked over to arrange herself between the two, sliding one hand over Sacharissa's palm and reaching her other down to card through William's hair and then down his cheekbone and jaw.

"You know I'm not... terribly keen on this sort of thing. As a rule. Historically. Ah, but..." She bit her lower lip and looked down, thoughtfully, pinky finger hooking with Sacharissa's.

"It- I've- I mean, this place...changes things, to put it mildly. So I suppose I see value in it that was previously, um. Unapparent." She paused a moment before she looked up at Sacharissa.

"So. Yes." She looked down to meet William's eyes, not removing her hand from where it was curled against his neck.

"Yes, I'll marry you." There was a minute pause before she glanced off with a mildly dubious expression.

"Oh, wow. Really? Well, yes, really, then."

[dogbitesman]

William was about to rather sternly mention that he didn't intend to propose with a ring made by Jack Harkness for Sacharissa* when Maladicta started talking.

He stared at her for a moment, then said, "...I've too many adjectives for this," tipped his head to kiss her hand, then stood up and in the same moment kissed her rather thoroughly, wrapping his arms about her waist.

Then he released one to turn slightly sideways to Sacharissa. "Well, that was easier than I expected," he said, delightedly.

*It was the 'for' part that made it an invalid choice, too. Besides, pearl? William wasn't about to go proposing with a pearl ring.

[headline_maker]

"Mercifully so," Sacharissa agreed, stepping in closer, slipping her arms around the pair of them to bury her head against Maladicta's shoulder. Tucked between the two of them seemed exactly where she ought to be as the happiness hit her anew. She sniffed a little, blinking quickly. Really now, crying was an absurd reaction to being so pleased, but she couldn't seem to stop her a few tears from welling up.

[dishabille_mal]

Maladicta was still reeling slightly from the proposal, and her acceptance of the proposal, and then that kiss. She blinked a few times, slowly, looking over William's face then down at the fall of blond hair on her shoulder. She absently rubbed her cheek against the top of Sacharissa's hair, looking back up at William.

"...Sorry, I'm catching up, now."

[dogbitesman]

William smiled, kissing first the top of Sacharissa's head - was she sniffling? Was that normal? - and then Maladicta's. "Do take your time."

[headline_maker]

"Yes," Sacharissa agreed, lifting her head to lean it back against William's shoulder. "We've got time." That seemed important just then.

[dishabille_mal]

Maladicta closed that gap because it didn't require thought, and kissed Sacharissa, eyes slipping shut, for a prolonged moment.

"...Mmn," she said, more or less, as she pulled back, and then lifted a hand to brush the pad of her thumb beneath the sweep of Sacharissa's lashes.

"Smile," she said very quietly, and smiled.

[dogbitesman]

And that raised the temperature a fair few degrees, given Sacharissa's head was on his shoulder.

"Or at least cry less, it's a little worrying," he said, combing one hand back through Sacharissa's hair and the other down Maladicta's back.

[headline_maker]

"I don't mean to," Sacharissa protested, sniffing a little as she laughed. Reaching up, she slipped a hand along Maladicta's neck and into her hair, stroking downward. "It just happened."

[dishabille_mal]

"I think this is maybe what the jewelery is for," Maladicta murmured wryly, ducking her forehead to touch against Sacharissa's but flicking a warm, blue, wry glance up at William.