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 || May 1st, 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.

ooc; also if your Knight wants to get all gussied up, you can make a Disguise (Cha) check for how good they were at hair/makeup/stylin', etc!  This goes for... any time.

Comments

ota

[burnsbright]

[Scout's kept the braids and applied a trace of makeup, nothing terribly striking. Women lingering in the dressing rooms may have seen her bending to touch her toes and making some exaggerated movements after dressing, to see if the unfamiliar clothes she picked worked for her. They did.]

She chose some mishmash of unpatterned clothes in neutral colors, incorporating trousers, a buttoned dress shirt under a sleeveless sweater, a tunic over that, and a sheer wide scarf tied to be like a belt with both ends somewhere around her knees. Over that there's an unbuttoned duster.

Wherever she goes she carries a round-bellied glass with purple grape juice, and though she sips from it she always tops it up again before the level can fall too far. Scout has grace enough to keep from spilling, and she regards the room alertly, even when in conversation. Though she doesn't exactly work the crowd, she seems interested and engaged.]

[bluffcheck]

[Thoster had noticed this quiet thing getting a stern talking to by the fiery girl at the ceremony. She held her own- albeit in a more timid way. Thoster liked that.

So when the bard happens upon her, he cannot help but come over with a grin and a booming laugh.]

Ah, if it isn't one of our newest pups! Enjoying yourself?

[He acts like he's been here much longer than the month he has. And his 26 on his bluff check will back that lie up.]

[burnsbright]

[The smile is infectious. Still watchful, Scout swirls her glass a little and goes for a joke.]

Please, I'd rather be a cub.

It's going all right. This is just new to me, all of it.

[bluffcheck]

Oh, is that so? A cub you'll be then!

[He has a far less virgin drink in his hand and he lifts it to gently clink his glass to hers before he takes a large drink.]

It isn't so bad once you get into it. Plenty of parties, too.

[burnsbright]

Suddenly I wish I'd thought to rank all the animal terms this language has for what fits me best. Shame on me.

[She watches him touch their glasses a bit more obviously than she'd have liked it to seem, but it doesn't look like any fluid exchange went on, so she sips her juice when he drinks.]

Mmm. They'll have to be patient with me, I haven't been among a lot of people for a while. But I can learn.

[bluffcheck]

Think it over and let me know if you come up with anything better. I'm open to interpretation.

[He takes a large drink and gives the girl a glance over.]

Didn't catch your name.

[Which is Thoster's way of slightly admitting that he didn't actually watch the ceremony. Whoops.]

[burnsbright]

Remember that next time we meet, I might just take you up on it.

[She moves her head in a gesture that has no meaning here, making her braids sway against each other, and tries to focus on him with her meager Force talent. She can never pick up much, but something of his sense seems recently-familiar.]

[(It's the adjoining rooms thing; she's felt his presence in the background and never focused on it.)]

Tallisibeth Enwandung-Esterhazy. [She waits a beat, and then grins briefly.] Call me Scout, please.

[bluffcheck]

Scout, huh? I prefer cub. [He gives her a grin. Be thankful he's not of this world and doesn't know enough to make a "cub scout" joke.]

[burnsbright]

[She would have needed him to explain it if he had. Scout sidesteps just far enough to prevent a generic NPC from clipping her as he passes too close, and shrugs lightly.]

I'm good at what I do.

Now, this is the point where you tell me what you want to be called, because Cheery is awkward and no one will know who I mean.

[bluffcheck]

[He lets out a booming laugh.]

Oh, I don't know... Has a ring to it.

[He laughs again, this time slightly quieter.]

The name's Thoster. At your service.

[burnsbright]

[(Sorry! I realized it fit her pattern better just after posting the first one.)]

[Scout realizes she's doomed to think of him as Cheery half the time, and has to chuckle with him, though it's rather subdued in comparison.]

Thank you, sir. I can only hope I'll do well here. Any pointers, old-timer?

[bluffcheck]

[(It's fine! I was just confused for half a second. I thought I had imagined the other version :P)]

[Thoster likes this girl. She reminds him a touch of his youngest sister, Annabelle- someone he has been missing a great deal since joining the Knights last month. So, instead of his typical flirty charm, he's got more of a platonic warmth for Scout.]

Oh, old-timer, is it! [But he's still laughing, while feigning offense.] Just keep your eyes open and your nose clean. They'll take care of ya here. Can't say I've ever been much for joining up for a cause, but you could do worse than this place.

[burnsbright]

I'm surprised you're out without a cane, you've been here that much longer than me. [She shakes her head in exaggerated amazement.]

[And then her expression doesn't really change much, but she seems to withdraw internally a little. Scout reminds herself with resignation that anyone here could betray her, and she'll never know until it happens.]

My eyes are always open. Clean nose, well, I'll have to try my best. [She suspects that's a saying.]

[nepotism]

[ Fred works his way up to her at some point, thrusting out a hand. ] Hey there, looks like congrats are in order, eh?

[burnsbright]

[Scout's demeanor cools just noticeably for a moment, her expression going neutral, but then she smiles and gives him a wrist-handshake. She's seen by now that Earth people go for fingers and palms, but it's a pretty minor difference. The texture of her fingers is harsh, but she doesn't squeeze overly hard.]

If you say so. I didn't exactly do anything.

[She hesitates a beat.] - Look, I'm sorry I called you dopa-meekie kung.

[Among other things. Huttese is the best language for obscenities that Scout knows. ...There had been trouble getting her to be blindfolded.]

[nepotism]

[ He just smiles as he drops his hand ] I'd say I've been called worse, but seeing as how I still have no clue what that meant, we'll just leave it at 'no hard feelings'.

[burnsbright]

[Scout wishes again she could tell when people were lying, but she's aware that knowing wouldn't help her much. She doesn't want enemies here.]

Sorry, I'm not going to tell you what any of that meant. I'd be in trouble for half of it.

[The band switches to something not unlike Drowsy Maggie. Scout's head raises, and she sounds surprised.]

That's a reel.

[Her brows draw together slightly, and she looks at Fred, hesitates a moment while thinking. Then her expression clears, and she smiles more genuinely, with a hint of challenge.]

Do you dance, Sir Fred?

[nepotism]

[ He laughs at her comment about getting into trouble, grinning as if the idea amuses him. And then glances out over the crowd at her question, before turning back to her with a large smirk. ]

Something like that. But c'mon. Let's give it a whirl. [ He nods at her to accompany him, holding out his arm for her to grab onto. ]

[burnsbright]

[She sets down her glass and goes with him to the dance floor, her touch light, and faces him with a slightly toothy smile.]

You can touch me however you need to, but please behave. [Or she will make his arm go nerveless for a few minutes, but she doesn't feel the need to say that out loud.]

[Scout does not know this music piece, or just what kind of dance goes with it, so she'll have to let him lead, watch closely, and improvise fast.]

[But frankly? She's a fantastic dancer. She may have summed up the Art of Movement as being about terrain before, but it is a higher form of movement in general, and dance is part of that. Jedi Masters have passed dance lessons on to their pupils for hundreds of years, and Scout was a good student. Her footwork and the moves she makes will tend to be unorthodox and strange, but her Jedi coordination and training mean she can keep up, at the very least.]

[nepotistic]

[ She might be fantastic, but no one claimed her partner was. And with his 7 dance check, it's all he can do to not trip over his feet trying to keep up with the speed of the dance. But he has a good sense of humor about it, and is apparently enjoying himself anyways, laughing as he winds up always one or two moves behind where he's supposed to be, occasionally careening into Scout as he does so, and catching her by the waist, before spinning her out again overdramatically as if he totally meant to do that. ]

[burnsbright]

[They did teach her what to do with less skilled partners, it's just she knows more the theory than the practice. Still, Scout hangs in there until she's almost spun into someone - she dodges, but it breaks the rhythm, and she decides that's it.]

[It's usually considered bad form to backlead, but Scout comes back and... does so. Her demeanor all the while is that of concentration as she combines training - dance is Cha? Really? I'd think it would be two things, Dex for competency, Charisma for style/how good it looks - with the 14 roll to meet the challenge, slowing her own steps down, maintaining a set distance between them.]

[She's not quite out of breath when the song ends, but she's breathing a little harder, and her hands are sweaty as she pulls them free. Only then does her expression ease, and she shakes her head and smiles a little more genuinely.]

It's been a while since I danced anything. Thanks.

[nepotism]

[ By the end of the dance, he's at least improved a little bit, thanks to her lead, and his pride hasn't seemed to suffered. There's a hint of color in his cheeks, but he hides it if he's winded in any way, and sweeps her a little bow. ]

I think you're the one who needs props for surviving it.

[burnsbright]

[She bows back, drawing her right leg out so the toe of her soft boot scrapes the floor as she does so. Scout then paraphrases Yoda, though she doesn't imitate his voice or syntax as she would to another Jedi.]

I'm pretty good at surviving. Besides, "A warrior who can't dance is clumsy in war and peace." I was trained for that, years ago. Nice to see some of it stuck.

[nepotism]

[ He thumps a hand against his heart, as if wounded, flinching dramatically. ] Ouch. Right to the core.

[burnsbright]

[Scout's eyes crinkle a little as she shakes her head.]

Now now. You can, you just need practice.