after-party ♔

[wynn]

♬ Jeux d'eau - Ravel

WHO || Wynn, any and all Knights not currently on missions
WHAT || Squiring Ceremony Afterparty
WHERE || Knights Headquarters, the Ballroom
WHEN || March 2nd, 2012, 9:00PM
HOW || Prose OR Actionspam

The "afterparty" is rumored to be the real main event of the night. A black-tie affair in the lavish, opulent ballroom, it is every new Knight's chance to mingle and meet some of their new brothers in arms. Of course, a couple hours are provided following the ceremony for everyone to change, do hair and makeup, and choose from the vast array of formal attire in the closets of the balcony "dressing rooms" located at the top of spiraled staircases on either side of the ballroom. A separate dressing room exists for men and women, and they include full bathrooms (with, thankfully, very modern plumbing).

The squires are usually among the last to arrive, and the ballroom is full to the brim with a fancy array of people, of all shapes, sizes and species.

Hope none of you are shy. They're all here to meet you.

Feel free to make your own open threads for people to come congratulate your newly pledged knight.

Comments

Opeeeen;

[killarevolution]

[Are you tired of hearing about HOW DAMN OUT OF PLACE Haymitch is?

Well, shocker. He actually looks less out of place than you'd imagine now that he's just dressed up. All those years of mentoring he doesn't remember. That doesn't mean he's not twitchy and uncomfortable by all these strange people and would rather be ELSEWHERE, but some niggling sensation keeps telling him he knows how to behave in public and pretend he gives a shit and also there's booze. So yeah.

Being an amnesiac drunk sucks.]

[65]

[He wasn't completely sure about the same or the face, and it had been bugging him the entire squiring ceremony maybe that's why he couldn't remember the words to the pledge hur hur. THIS CRAZY HOBO WAS SO FAMILIAR.

And then it hit him! Haymitch wasn't just Haymitch, he was Haymitch. That crazy drunk mentor from District 12. ... What was he doing here??? Well, he wasn't going to find out by just standing there staring, so he moves across the room to chat.]

Never thought I'd see you at a thing like this, getting knighted and all. Congratulations on not falling down on the walk down the aisle. [he thinks he's just being kawaii and not ... insulting essentially a stranger. His bad. 8( ]

[killarevolution]

[YOU WANNA SEE HOW HARD I CAN PUNCH??

It's the first thought in Haymitch's head, because dear God, there is a bronze-haired tan kid standing in front of him and he wants it to go away. Why is it acting like he knows him? WHAT'S TATERS, PRECIOUS?]

That supposed to be endearing?

[militarized]

[ Ethan comes up beside him, easily picking him out because, well, he's pretty much one of the oldest looking guys there. Unless Spock is there. He'd win that battle. But, the point is made, everyone in this castle is a straight up fetus. Ethan grabs a champagne flute off the tray of a passing waiter and takes a sip before addressing Haymitch, observing the youngins in their dancing. ]

Enjoying your party?

[killarevolution]

[Haymitch is trying to siphon a glass of wine into a flask he snuck into the party. That is how classy he is. Also, he's not sure if they're going to let him drink after this. Normally, someone would look guilty at being caught being... That much of an alcoholic, but... Nope. Haymitch doesn't even look up until he's finished, just presses on like this is normal.] Had worse. Probably. I'll tell you when I remember.

[befree]

[There is something about him that Katniss doesn't like.

He strikes a sense of familiarity, although she has no idea why. It bothers her, and like with Arthur, she spends a good portion of the night stalking him with her eyes. She isn't exactly fond of social situations, and unlike her first party, she's dressed like a normal teenager that doesn't give a fuck.

Which means jeans, Doc Martens, and a hoodie.

Her hands are shoved into the front pocket of her hoodie and she's leaning up against a nearby wall, staring intensely at him.

Watching his every move.]

[killarevolution]

[Drunk, addled- you would think Haymitch was unobservant. And maybe he was- like hell if he could remember- but in an unfamiliar setting, with no memories, nothing to ground himself with save for a flask and a knife and some 'Nam-style PTSD-flashbacks... Yeah, he's going to notice someone eye-stalking him.

And he takes it like a man for approximately ten minutes before he circles around like he's about to leave the room, only to double back and come up somewhere to Katniss's left.] Something on your mind, sweetheart?

[Uh. Weird endearment for some girl he doesn't know. But there is something familiar about her. Something that... Makes him want to patronize her and be generally jerky.

But she started it. Okay.]

[attollores]

[Alainn watches Haymitch from across the room, not in a stalker-ish way but more in observation, noting how twitchy he is. She was looking for a good time in which to introduce herself while noticing how obviously uncomfortable he is with being in a ballroom stuffed with strangers.

And also how much he drinks.

And that he likes to try cutting off a fellow Squires' head with a broken wine glass.

Interesting. She couldn't hear the conversation from where she had been standing and had begun moving that way when Risa intervened. It was quite obvious, at least from Haymitch's face that whatever had happened wasn't over between the two of them, and then they were moving outside. She debated following them but thought it best to give them time to work through their issues. Hopefully if either of them did end up dead they could be rezzed.

It would sure suck if her new Squire died before they even met.]

[killarevolution]

[It's okay. It's only squires he knows. Really. Swear. Either way, after his informative conversation with Finnick wherein Haymitch can't even rightly say it's all a lie, because who the hell lies about THAT MUCH, he's disoriented and even more keen on getting falling-down drunk.

But... First unfinished business. He's had people watching him all night and he's pretty sure in two cases, it was long before he tried to stab Finnick (or so says his friggin' spot check of 20- obviously he's been doing more hoarding than actual drinking), so after dealing with Katniss, his other shadow gets approached.]

Not big on interference?

open

[chiakiyoshida]

[Tonight is basically the only time ever you'll see Chiaki not wearing a long black coat. Instead, she's wearing a strapless dress - okay, also black - that's elegant in its simplicity, or something like that. Her long hair is pulled back into a bun that's slightly severe, but, in her opinion, looks better than just wearing her hair loose. Basically, she's not good with the whole fashion thing, so she sticks with what she knows.

She's not terribly huge on the whole crowd thing, but she'll deal with it.]

[ironsides]

[And what's that down there? Oh, it's a dwarf, suddenly holding up a drink at her!]

Congratulations, lass! Yer Zero's new squire, ain'tcha?

[chiakiyoshida]

Zer- Oh, you mean Sir Hughes? [Not that Chiaki has a tendency to be overly formal or anything. Certainly not. She takes the drink from Dovan, smiling down at him, then shifts it to her other hand so she can offer him a hand to shake.] Chiaki Yoshida.

ota!

[mellifluence]

[After spending an eternity debating about dresses, and just what would be nice enough, Rayna settled on a lace gown that fell to the floor, with her long hair swept back and up. She's used to wearing dresses, but she's never worn something so nice. Or been somewhere so nice, for that matter. Her brother would probably have a wide array of jokes stored up for the occasion, but she just tried to stay on the outskirts of the crowds.

Wallflower? You bet. But she's wearing her most polite smile to try to make up for how desperately she's trying to avoid eye contact. It'd be nice if Boaz was there - maybe she could even clip a bow-tie to his fur - but she'll find a way to manage.]

[luthir]

[Also stalking along the outline of the room is this very obvious looking elf, who's decked out in traditional silvery garb of his people, looking fully classy. He carries a flute of what looks like wine in hand and comes to a stop a few feet away, nodding his head with dignity]

Congratulations and welcome to our Order.

[mellifluence]

[She almost looks around to verify that he's talking to her, but she stops herself before she looks that ridiculous. Instead she nods in turn and flashes a brighter smile up at him.]

Thank you. I guess...it still feels surreal. You probably hear that a lot, though.

[king]

[ Arthur is still in the ceremonial mail rather than modern formal gear, which he still avoids like the plague, sorry Buffy. His last attempt to talk to the wallflower at the afterparty hadn't actually worked out so well, but this time he's determined to do better. ]

[ So he approaches Rayna, who is non-intimidating and garbed in something that makes him think of home. Gives her a small quirk of a smile once he's caught her eye, a nod once he's close enough to converse. ]

Hullo. Enjoying the evening?

[mellifluence]

[While she lifts her brows in surprise when she sees him still in the armor, she tries to hide her expression just as quickly. She does a rather poor job of it, which accounts for a light flush, and suddenly wishes she had something in her hands to fiddle with.]

I am, very much. [It's the polite answer, as is trying not to stare.] And you?

ota;

[65]

[Finnick is dressed all fancy in a suit and thinking it's pretty nice. This is a lot better than all the awkward shit they made him wear at Capitol stuff when they let him wear clothes at all. And, like his walk down the red carpet, he's still working the crowd. You know, talking to people and being all amiable and things. It's kind of a reflex at this point, instead of something he sincerely puts his heart into. But it's better than being a sad lonelychan loser by the punch bowl.

After seeing Haymitch, or ... "Haymitch", he's suspicious of this being some kind of fucked up Capitol brainwashing mindgame thing. So he's also using this as an opportunity to snoop and keep his eye out for ~clues~.]

[befree]

[Katniss can tell within five seconds if someone is a douchebag or not. It only took her two seconds during the ceremony to decide that this guy definitely was. With his bronze hair and rippling body he is in no way attractive, and why does he insist on talking to people like it's a fun thing to do?

Something about him, like that old guy earlier, strikes a chord with her. She wants to speak to him, but he's such a tool that she has no fucks left to give and doesn't want to be seen making an effort to speak to someone. If she did that, other people might come up and try talking to her.

So she just slowly stalks him around the room, keeping a good distance to observe him without having to necessarily talk to him. Yes, she realizes this is creepy.

No, she doesn't care.]

[65]

[In the middle of talking to someone else, his eyes lock onto stalker-Katniss and widen with recognition. He finagles his way out of that conversation so he can sneak his way over to her before she can run away like the sneaky bitch she is.]

Katniss? [It's a question instead of a greeting, because now he can't be completely sure if it's her or not.]

[technophobic]

[Let's make it very clear: the Paladin is not here to socialize, he's here because there's an excessive amount of free food and drink and his buddies are here. Yes, he has them.

Either way, at some point in Haymitch's strutting around, he would turn around and find the big guy standing there, fixing him with a suspicious eye.]

Think you have what it takes, do you, boy?

ota;

[wynn]

[Wynn proudly watches the festivities from the front of the room, where people largely give him a wide berth, except for the elder Knights going up to discuss what are probably mission matters with him. He looks like he's got a lot on his mind, but he's here if anyone needs him]

[king]

[ Do you know the solution to the burden of power, Wynn? It's alcohol. ]

[ All right, so Arthur doesn't expect the Knight to get down with his bad self; isn't sure if he'd even be able to drink to excess without downing half a cellar. But he does approach with two glasses — and only one is for him. ]

'Spose it gets dull, after you've been to enough of them.

[ He's getting the idea it's best not to ask about the lack of music, or the lack of feast. ]

ota;

[lear]

[ As she was the last knighted, Lear is also the last to arrive — fashionably late, perhaps. Rather than a gown, she's wearing a well tailored suit, and she walks with more confidence on her stilettos than she seemed to have along the walk to her knighthood. ]

[ Disregard the fact that her natural polite smile makes her look like she's considering the best way to mince and devour some souls. She's the opposite of a wallflower, willing to walk into the thick of it, and she moves from conversation to conversation, eying the gentleman as though considering which she should ask to dance. ]

[wildmind]

[Nessa observes Lear from a comfortable distance for a few minutes, making it very clear that she's doing so as she drinks leisurely from her glass at the punch bowl. She waits until the woman is walking in her direction before setting the glass down and heading her way, however.]

You certainly look pleased to be here.