Maison Aetherthorne Ascensions – Public Harmony Codex
Section: Blooming Accord and Devoted Unions – Approved for Ascended Ladies and Academy Guidance
Courtship remains the most refined and cherished ritual of our harmonious society—a delicate, theatrical celebration of affection and devotion that elevates a provisionally assigned bonded companion into an eternal gallant. Every gesture is steeped in high-society grace, moonlight poetry, and symbolic restraint, ensuring only the purest unions flourish.
The path spans from Harmonious Assignment to Eternal Union, with the Maison overseeing each step to preserve societal bloom. Failure at critical junctures—particularly the ultimate test of acceptance—is met with dignified finality, allowing the lady to continue her ascent unburdened.
(Unchanged in its theatrical splendor—young ladies in Lolita gowns, gallants presented in primmed human attire upon the dais, the Veil Oracle announcing pairings amid cascading petals and steam ribbons. The gallant is delivered in mammal form, the provisional bond sealed.)
The courtship period is an exquisite tapestry of dainty, high-society rituals:
Flower gathering in conservatories, where the companion delicately presents symbolic blooms.
Supervised ballroom dances and moonlit terrace encounters with whispered vows and brief, ring-teased glimpses of human form.
Creative gifts of devotion: carved trinkets, harmony medals, or gathered rarities—never currency, only proofs of earnest effort.
The pinnacle gesture: the Handkerchief Signal. A lady deliberately drops her embroidered handkerchief near her companion. He retrieves and returns it with graceful reverence. Should she accept his suit, she tucks the handkerchief into his waistcoat pocket (or collar in mammal form)—a public declaration of proposal, met with harmonious applause and immediate preparations for marriage.
Failure to Obtain Handkerchief Acceptance
If, after reasonable opportunity and Maison guidance, the lady withholds the handkerchief signal—signifying irreconcilable disharmony or insufficient devotion—the bond is deemed unviable. To preserve equilibrium and spare further imbalance, the companion undergoes humane deletion: a swift, private, and merciful process (refined steam dissolution or gentle gear disassembly) administered by Maison harmonists. This release is framed as compassionate closure, preventing lingering discord.
The lady enters a period of visible mourning—wearing subdued gowns of soft lavender or dove-grey silks, adorned only with simple brass mourning pins, and refraining from public festivities or new courtships for one full seasonal cycle (approximately three months). This public display honors the failed bond while demonstrating her commitment to harmony.
(For successful handkerchief acceptances)
The ceremony proceeds on Céleste Prime or Joyaux Tourbillon with full splendor:
The gallant experiences sustained human form for the first time at the altar—emerging in dashing attire for the lady’s awed first full gaze.
The authoritative figure presents the wedding band upon a guarded cushion, protected against any discordant impulse.
The gallant kneels in devotion; the lady places the ring upon her finger—sealing the bond outwardly as romantic union, inwardly as his willing acceptance of subservient freedom granted solely through her grace.
Celebrations follow with steam fireworks, waltzes, and gratuity feasts.
Upon completion of the visible mourning period, the lady may petition the Maison for reassignment. A new companion—freshly refined on Rouage Silencieux—is granted at the next Blooming Veil or a private ceremony, allowing her ascent to continue unshadowed.
Ladies observed requesting repeated reassignments (suggesting patterns of withheld acceptance or unharmonious judgment) attract gentle Maison observation. Though no formal decree exists, such cycles may prompt quiet guidance—restricted gratuities, reflective retreats, or harmonious counsel—to ensure no single bloom strains the garden's eternal equilibrium.
Courtship, in its refined entirety, remains the truest bloom of ascension love: delicate, theatrical, and unwavering in its pursuit of perfect harmony.
Court with Exquisite Grace. Bond in Eternal, Balanced Harmony.
(Embossed with the Mourning Handkerchief Winged Gear Emblem)