Open Time for a Styx Wedding

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Getting an area booked for a wedding ended up being too much trouble for Kalif Styx. In the end, he set up an area an acre from his house, in an open field. It was on his property still, with the woods blocking the view of his manor. Kalif did not want others to see where or how he lived. He gave out instructions prior, but purposely made it a little hard to find. People in his family were invited before the bigger celebration at the Zhefarovich Manor in Bulgaria were his father would attend. It was hard to get him out of the manor anymore. Kalif, wearing black dress robes, used his wands to bring up a very large canopy to shield them from the setting sun. Chairs were conjured, with many of them for his family members that lived in New Zealand. He did have one request from everyone. No. Kids. He had no desire to see any of them. After all, he spent most of the year with them, teaching and guiding. He was done with them during his break. He then conjured a rug the color of red that lead out to the woods, where there was a building where Jacqueline was getting ready. Everything was set except one thing. Kalif waved his wands and candles appeared. They were black with a brilliant white flame. Yes, this would work. Kalif walked up to where he would stand with his bride, occasionally whispering to his oldest son, Hades, who would join the two of them together.

Spoiler: Context

Since I don’t have time to rp all of his family, the list below will include the ones with roles, and those in attendance.

Spoiler: Context

Dark Priest	Hades Styx
Best Man	Radoul Antoaneta
Maid of Honor	Katheryn Kingsley
Usher	Ivaylo Zhefarovich-Dolohov

Zhefarovich and Burke Family Guests *includes their spouses* (of mine, others in the family are automatically invited)

Axel Zhefarovich	Chavdar Zhefarovich	Desislava Zhefarovich	Ozias Zhefarovich	Leviathan Zhefarovich
Vladimir Zhefarovich	Vixen Zhefarovich-Dolohov	Elijah Zhefarovich	Marius Zhefarovich	Antonin Zhefarovich
Arnost Zhefarovich II	Candace Styx	Bothizar Styx	Nicolas Styx	Damianos Styx
Samouel Styx	Hades Styx II	Lucien Snow	Vesta Grimm	Vincent Chevalier
Chacen Chevalier	Kaleb Styx	Lanithro Styx	Azerail Zhefarovich	Kamaria Zhefarovich

Sergei Zhefarovich	Havoc Zhefarovich	Chaos Zhefarovich	Vasil Zhefarovich	Andromeda Zhefarovich
Severo Burke

 

[Desislav Zhefarovich]

Desislav certainly knew how to clean up. He just didn't often do it. But that made it more exciting when he did have the opportunity to. Desi wasn't exactly close to Kalif Styx, but the chance to eat wedding food and enjoy a nice date night with his fiance was enough for him. As they walked towards their seats, Desi leaned over and asked quietly, "What do you think, Bambi?" They'd been talking about their own wedding for some time now, and it was another reason he'd decided to come. To get some ideas for their own upcoming wedding, though now that he was looking around he wasn't sure he'd take many ideas. Black candles weren't his style not did he believe they were Kayleigh's. Desi put his hand on the small of his fiance's back as he gestured for her to enter the aisle first.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi Kingsley had gone back and forth about whether or not to attend the wedding. She loved weddings. Love was a marvelous thing and the idea of seeing Kalif Styx exchange vows was something that she couldn't exactly imagine. It was something she would need to see for herself to believe. No, it was the other party that made the whole idea of her attending a little awkward. It was her ex-mother-in-law and their relationship had somewhat soured since she'd divorced the woman's son. It was to be expected, of course, though Cyndi hadn't expected the woman to become as cold as she had. It hurt, but the woman did her best to conceal that. Having flooed to the destination, Cyndi brushed down her dress and then made her way across the grounds to the seats, quickly slipping into one on the groom's side. She looked around, happy that she didn't see Cameron just yet. They saw each other often enough, but it was still quite awkward to her when they did. They didn't often find themselves at the same events, however, and she was sure today would prove extremely awkward. Cyndi put her purse down on the seat beside her, unsure if her plus one, Misha, would sit beside her or not. She'd been flabbergasted to learn he hadn't been invited, he was Kalif's best friend after all, and Cyndi knew he wouldn't want to miss his best friend's wedding. So she'd invited him along. She couldn't wait to see Kalif's face when he saw Misha even if it likely meant she'd soon be on the receiving end of some curse. It would be worth it to see his expression. Cyndi crossed her legs, her gaze on the guests as they took their seats.

 

[Radoul Antoaneta]

It wasn’t every day where Radoul would attend a wedding. Especially his old friend. Radoul felt honored to be the best man and also the one that held the rings. He made sure that they were in his pocket as he arrived to the location, noticing that the entire area was fixed up. And it was definitely the taste of Kalif’s. Radoul walked up the carpet and boomed, “About time you got married, you lovesick b*****d!” Radoul bounded over to the old man and gave him a huge hug, lifting him straight off the ground. He set the Slytherin Head of House back down and gave him a good slap on the back, before placing his hand on his shoulder. “I am glad I was able to make it to this one!”

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Kalif nearly flinched when he head Radoul’s booming voice. However, what he did not expect was to be lifted off of the ground in a tight hug. Kalif was used to this by the man so he just glared at him until he was back on the ground. He dusted off his shoulder before giving a small nod. “I suppose. Just no more of that loudness, especially during the ceremony.” He gestured to where Radoul should be standing, and folded his arms as he stood, facing away from the guests that continued to grow more on his family’s side than Jacqueline’s.

 

[Cameron Kingsley]

Cameron Kingsley had no intentions of missing his mother's wedding. It wasn't every day that you got married for the third time, and he had heard stories of Kalif Styx from his now ex-wife. He made a stop at the Potter house to deposit Eleanor with Sean. Carter and Jemma joined them as they all traveled to the wedding venue. Cameron looked around as they arrived, surprised somewhat by all of the black, though he knew his mother liked the color. The man was equally surprised to see Cyndi sitting with her purse in a chair as if she was saving it for someone. Had she brought a date to his mother's wedding? He ignored his jealous impulses as he turned to the children, ushering them into a row reserved for the family. Noah had promised to attend as had Lyra and Link. He made sure to save enough seats for them all.

 

[Lyra Potter]

Lyra Potter thought it was a little weird that her grandmother was marrying Lanithro's father. In fact, it was weird enough for her that she decided they should go back to just being friends. Lyra looked around the candle-lit space that had been cleared in the woods. It was sort of romantic. The blonde saw her family sitting together, but she wasn't interested in introducing them all to Ezra today. Her green eyes landed on Lanithro. Lyra grabbed Ezra Cade by the hand and pulled him along with her as she made her way to Lanithro. She slid into the seat next to him with Ezra on her other side.

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob could think of about a million things he would prefer to do than watch his grandmother marry Professor Styx. That Professor Styx was going to be part of his family was too much for his brain to handle. He shuddered at the thought as he pulled on his jacket and headed downstairs to meet his dad. At least Jemma would be there to share in this weird day. Jacob walked side by side with Jemma as they finally arrived, surprised to see his mom had beat them there and wasn't sitting with them. And that she looked like she was saving a seat. She hadn't mentioned going with anyone. Not that he could remember anyway. Jacob stole a glance at his dad and saw that he noticed too. He quietly nudged Jemma, wondering what she would think. Jacob had long still held out hope that his parents would get back together but this didn't look good. The teenager took a seat in the family section before glancing directly at his mom, waiting for her to look his way. She did briefly, giving him a small wave as if nothing was going on, and Jacob returned it but grew even more suspicious of her. He didn't know what she was playing at, but he'd make sure her date knew he wasn't welcome. It would be something to do to keep from thinking too much about his grandmother and Professor Styx. He shuddered again.

 

[Ezra Cade]

The last place Ezra Cade expected to find himself was at a wedding at Lyra's side. Even though she had told him she was ready to be called his girlfriend he hadn't thought she'd be ready for him to be her date in such a public setting. It didn't bother Ezra, he had longed for a chance to show Lyra off as his for some time and the fact he would be doing so in front of some her family only made it better. Though being at the wedding of his former head of house still seemed a strange concept. Once they arrived at the wedding Ezra followed Lyra's lead and steered away from her family and instead took seats next to her friend Lanithro Styx. Ezra acknowledged the man with a curt downward nod,

 

[Kayleigh Zhefarovich]

Attending her old Professor's wedding was not something Kayleigh thought she'd ever be doing; partly because he was her old Professor and the other part because of who it was. Being a part of this family was interesting for sure, but Kayleigh was glad that Des wasn't much like his family. Kayleigh was sure that going to a wedding was going to encourage the two to finally plan their wedding, but looking around at Professor Styx's decorations, she knew she was only getting information on what not to do. Kayleigh waited until she was in her seat to whisper back to Des. "It's a bit... depressing? Is that the right word? I don't know - not our style." She said with a small smile looking at her fiance.

 

[Jemma Potter]

Jemma Potter had slipped into her mother's room earlier in the evening and borrowed a plain black dress for the occasion. She didn't think Carter would mind, but she didn't ask in advance just in case he said no. Wearing it made her feel better about what she was going to have to witness tonight. It was totally gross that her grandmother was marrying Professor Styx. He was so old and creepy, not that her grandmother was all warm and fuzzy, but she was better than Professor Styx. At least Jake was here with her. Jemma felt his nudge at her side, and her green eyes followed his to see Aunt Cyndi already there with an empty seat as if it was meant for someone. Jemma's eyes widened in surprise. She hoped it wasn't what it looked like. She reached for Jacob's arm and squeezed it in solidarity as she followed Uncle Cam and Carter to their seats. Jemma noticed her sister come in too, but she was followed by a man she hadn't ever met but could guess who it was. Instead of sitting with them, she sat down next to Lanithro Styx which disappointed Jemma. She hardly ever got to see her siblings and now she had to share. She turned in her seat, whispering to Jacob as they waited for the wedding to start. "Did you know your mom was going to be here? It looks like she's waiting on someone." she said.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

There was no way Monty was missing Kalif's wedding. There was also no way he was going on his own. He'd gone alone to Matt's wedding, and that had been difficult enough. First he'd missed the ceremony, and then he'd stood awkwardly in the corner of the room during the reception, finally slipping out unheeded after the embarrassment had become too much to bear. He was determined not to let that happen again. Katherine had made it quite clear that he needed to make an effort to socialise with the staff, and if a colleague's wedding wasn't a good place to start, what was?

He had asked no less than three professors to accompany him, and, thankfully, they had all said yes. They'd all been invited anyway by default, but it relaxed him to have a group of familiar people to cling to. He recognised many of the guests, and waved to the ones he thought would wave back. He hadn't brought a gift for Kalif. In hindsight, he wondered if he should have, just for the sake of appearances, but it seemed unlikely anything Monty would have chosen for him would be appreciated.

A conspiratorial smile appeared. "Hmm - first you, Matt, now Kalif and Jacqueline," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at his friends. "I wonder who'll be next."

 

[Jacob Kingsley]

Jacob shook his head. "I knew she was coming but not with a..." he trailed off with a glance at his dad. He couldn't tell if he was listening or not. Jacob saw Professor Pendleton come next and a wave of relief washed over him. That's probably who his mother had come with. They were good friends and he was sure the professor didn't like his mother like that. But then he didn't join Jacob's mother and Jacob's frown deepened. His mother was looking determinedly straight ahead, almost as if she knew he was shooting glances her way.

 

[Dannii Merrythought]

Dannii had been seeing Azerail again for a few years now she still felt uncomfortable around his family. Of course the uncomfortable feeling wasn't helped by how bloated and nauseous she was feeling. Pregnancy hadn't been easy on the woman last time either. She had vowed that Ember would be the only one, and yet here she was. Dannii cringed slightly as she remembered how sickeningly sweet the potion she had taken that morning had tasted, but between the children already running around the house, and getting ready for the wedding she hadn't found the time or words to tell Azerail the news. Thankfully children weren't invited to the wedding so the two could have a night just to be adults together. She had been looking forward to when all the kids would be attending school so that they could have each other to themselves, but it seemed that dream would be pushed off for a few more years. She sighed, and gently squeezed her lovers hand as they found their seats for the ceremony. The decor was rather macabre, but Dannii had to admit it had a certain charm to it. If this was how the Zhefarovich family did weddings maybe she could get behind having one instead of just eloping.

 

[Azerail Zhefarovich]

Azerail Zhefarovich walked hand in hand to the wedding of their Patriarch. It made him a little nervous being here, despite having Kalif's silent approval. It seemed as though Kalif actually liked Dannii, even more than the last one of Azerail's. It might have been Taralynn's family or something. Azerail sat down and gave Dannii's hand a squeeze. He looked around at the decoration and noticed that it was dark, yet classy. Definitely Kalif. Azerail glanced around to see if Axel was anywhere, but he was directing others to their seats, on which side of the family. Hades was still in the front, silently conversing with his father. Azerail turned to his girlfriend and smiled, "Weddings are kind of romantic, aren't they?" When he got married, it was a double wedding with his brother, Ozias, who was seated further back with his wife, Amycus. They didn't seem to be separating anytime soon, but she was perfectly okay with his riddles and small talks. Azerail was not. Ozias made him feel weird. "I bet the drinks here are really good. Kalif might not drink but he knows everyone else will."

 

[Professor Matt Alcott-Ward]

Matt would be embarrassed to admit how nervous he was to attend Kalif's wedding. The other man intimidated him to no end, and Matt hoped that wasn't too obvious. He also knew Kalif had an enormous family, and decided to stick close to the other professors he knew. He was with Monty, Kahurangi and Aspen right now and that felt a good group to stay near. Matt had picked up a book about transfiguration spells used for dark purposes, something he thought was quite neat as it combined both the subjects the two of them taught. He just hoped they would like it as a wedding present. it was a shame Kyle couldn't make it to the wedding, as he had to run the store today. Matt hadn't thought to ask if Kalif had ever been his teacher, and only now wondered if Kyle had really tried that hard to get a day off, or if attending his old teacher's wedding would be too weird for him. He held the wrapped gift as he walked in next to Monty and looked over at him as he joked. Matt laughed a little awkwardly. "I hope it's not me again, that would mean I messed up." He said lightly. He was already on his second marriage, after all. "There's so many people here." Matt commented softly as he looked around. He recognized a few students and teachers, but most people here were strangers to him.

 

[Dannii Merrythought]

Dannii returned Azerail's smile as he talked about how romantic weddings were. They were a celebration of love. How could they not be romantic? Well, she supposed, this family tended to have a lot of arranged marriages so maybe not so romantic. She leaned in close to her partner, "Maybe we'll have to have one of these someday." She whispered before planting a gentle kiss on his cheek. Of course if they got married it would be a much smaller affair. Probably just the two of them, and their immediate family. When Azerail mentioned drinks Dannii felt the nausea roll over her again. Normally she would be all over an opportunity to have a few drinks and relax, but that would have to be put on hold for a few months now. "I think I'll be sticking to water, but you go ahead and have fun." Dannii told him as she gripped his hand a little tighter. The last thing she wanted to do was get sick in the middle of the wedding.

 

[Aspen Faye]

Aspen was only at the wedding because she was invited. She hadn't been to a wedding since her own one, and though she usually loved celebrations, this wasn't a wedding that she thought would be on her to-do list. Aspen wasn't much of a friend of Kalif's - it even felt weird saying his name seeing as he used to be her Professor. But so was Monty, and she counted him as a friend, as she did with Cyndi. There was just something weird about Kalif Styx. He was mean.
It was a rare occasion for Aspen to be in a bad mood, but this occasion brought back a lot of happy memories that were followed by sad ones. Still, she put on a brave face, a smile and greeted her fellow colleagues as they arrived and walked into the wedding together. She let out a small laugh at Monty's comment. "Rather you than me, my friend." Aspen stated, thinking of Ellington.

 

[Azerail Zhefarovich]

Azerail smiled at the thought of possibly having one of these, with Dannii. It was something he had dreamed of when he was a teenager. He thought over it before he pointed out with a grin, "Hang on, you can't do that. I have to propose to you first and all!" Azerail didn't really have plans not to propose, but he sure wasn't going to do that at his brother's wedding. They deserved an evening of their own. He didn't imagine it would be very big. He didn't like big crowds, and his family was a big crowd as is. When she turned down a drink, Azerail turned to look at his lover. She wasn't the type to deny a drink, and it had him a little worried. Was she sick? Did she think that they would be poisoned? "I-uh, why?" asked the former Slytherin with a worried expression.

 

[Axel Zhefarovich]

Axel Zhefarovich didn't really know who his older brother was marrying, but he did not really care as long as she came from a decent family. Since her last name was Burke, Axel assumed it would be. He stood by while others went to go sit down, some he recognized and some he didn't. He used to work at the school a long time ago, but that was too far in the past to recognize some of the teachers. The Head of the Zhefarovich family started to walk toward the family section, stopping a little short to see Dannii and Azerail together. He had some history with the Merrythought family, so that was what made it awkward. He did kill her parents after all. He sighed as he felt that phantom pain where his leg used to be, before going into the aisle behind the two. Eavesdropping was normally beneath him, but apparently, Azerail couldn't catch on. He leaned down, placing his hands on the young couple's shoulders. "Congratulations, you two. Good thing you are avoiding the alcohol, miss Merrythought." He lifted his hands from the two, and sat down behind them, while folding his arms across his chest.

 

[Dannii Merrythought]

Dannii laughed when Azerail pointed out that he had a propose before she started planning anything. He did make a fair point. She was thankful that they both at least had some tact. Proposing at someone else's wedding was just rude. The light she was feeling was somewhat dimmed when he asked her why she wasn't drinking. She hadn't thought far ahead yet to come up with a good excuse. Her train of thought was unfortunately completely derailed when none other than her parents killer came up, and sat behind them. Dannii felt the tips of her fingernails start to point and harden into claws before she caught herself, and stopped the transformation by digging the nails from her free hand into her palm. His next action caught her completely off guard as she felt his heavy hand press into her shoulder. His words even more so. Of course he knows. Sweet Merlin Azerail's family is creepy and weird. Dannii thought angrily. Though really she couldn't stay angry for long. It seemed at least for the time being she didn't have to worry about being cursed to oblivion. His words also meant the cat was out of the bag. Dannii sighed, took the hand of Azerail's that she had been holding on to, and placed it on her stomach. "As much as I would dearly love a glass of wine right now, actually make that something stronger, it would be irresponsible of me to drink in my current state." She said quietly, hoping the hum of the many guests would stop her from being overheard.

 

[Jacqueline Styx]

Jacqueline hadn't invited many people to her wedding, just her family members, but Kalif had invited more than enough for both of them. Not that she minded. This would be her third marriage, and she planned for it to be her last one. The woman had picked out an elegant, albeit slightly revealing, black dress that she knew Kalif would enjoy. She had very little jewelry on, and her Scitorari ring was firmly hidden in He was the only one she cared to please. Jacqueline had asked her daughter, Katheryn, to stand as her matron of honor though she wished Kiera was here as well. The professor nodded to her daughter, signaling it was time to get this show on the road.

Slowly, Jacqueline made her way down the aisle, all heads turning to watch her. She made it to the end of the aisle where Kalif stood. She took his hand as she smiled at him affectionately.

 

[Professor Kalif Styx]

Kalif heard the guests quiet down, while the best man pointed in the direction of the aisle. Kalif turned his head and saw his future wife. Stunning, classy, and in black. What more could he ask for? Hades placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, "You have done well, father. She is highly attractive." Kalif shot him a glare before watching Jacqueline approach him. He took her hand into his own. Hades started on the typical marriage speak, while the couples said their 'I dos'. Then came the seal of the contract of marriage. The kiss. Kalif was definitely not a fan of public affection. To fix that, he gestured for Radoul to stand in the way so that he could kiss his bride.

And just like that, Kalif was married once again, and the guests were free to enjoy the feast that the Zhefarovich family prepared for all the guests. It was top quality, since he expected nothing less. Kalif wasn't sure if he would mingle outside of the family. He didn't really want to.

 

[Professor Kahurangi Josephs]

Kahurangi had been beyond relieved when a group of Professors had gotten together to attend Kalif's wedding as a group. She didn't like thinking that she was still a bit intimidated by Professor Styx, but it was an unavoidable truth. If there was ever a point where the man stopped being intimidating, Kahurangi didn't know if she would ever reach it, at this point. So it was a comfort not to be here by herself, standing with Matt, Monty, and Aspen as they all arrived. She looked around, relieved to see mostly familiar faces; colleagues and students. She stayed close to her group though, chuckling slightly at Monty's comment, and Matt's response. "Well, both of your weddings were lovely, Matt." She said, with a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "And given how long it's been since my last date, I doubt I'll be getting married any time soon." She said with a chuckle. "Unless you were proposing, Monty..." She said with a fake gasp, trying to lighten the mood.

She looked away from her friends as the ceremony began, quieting down and turning to pay attention to the marriage. Weddings often brought Kahurangi down, thinking about how as the years went by it became less and less likely she would ever have her own turn. Seeing Kalif and Jacqueline get married though... oddly gave her hope. Her time wasn't entirely passed. And even a man as stern as Kalif seemed to be happily in love. Maybe she would find this kind of happiness someday, too.

 

[Quil Makwa]

Quil accompanies Kamaria to the wedding and parted ways from her as she sat with her father and other relatives. He took a seat somewhere in the back row, not at all that enthusiastic about attending a wedding of strangers. It really shouldn't feel that way, as he been with Kamaria for some time now and yet he felt like an outsider to the rest of them. The man sat brooding in silence with his brawny arms crossed over his chest. If he had taken the time to actually look at the other guests, he would've spotted Makaylah with Samara sitting a few rows down. The sisters chatted amongst themselves and quiet down as the ceremony began. It ended quickly as it began, Quil thankful the ceremony didn't drag on like other weddings. Weddings that drove their guests miserable with mundane stories of the past were the worst kind. Quil stood up and went to find Kamaria and the man that brought her into this world, Axel. He desired a few words with the man.