after-party ♔

[wynn]

♬ Jeux d'eau - Ravel

WHO || Wynn, any and all Knights not currently on missions (Slovechnia group will be returned by this point!)
WHAT || Squiring Ceremony Afterparty
WHERE || Knights Headquarters, the Ballroom
WHEN || Feb 1st, 2013, 6:00PM
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 you aren't 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

[uncurse]

Emma's arms folded over her chest, and she didn't look at him as he spoke, instead examining the castle grounds through the darkness. There wasn't much that could be made out, but the light filtering out of the ballroom helped. Accents notwithstanding, it really wasn't all that different from Maine.

Unfortunately, she could only ignore him for so long before she was expected to answer. Maybe he had a point - that they'd inevitably find out. It didn't seem entirely logical to assume so, though, considering they were the only people in this world who knew. Combined with the fact that she was pretty certain he didn't know anything, she wasn't wholly convinced.

But, what was she trying to do? Spare him pain? Keep him from losing it on her knight, whom she didn't hold any particular care for in the first place?

"His name's Rumpelstiltskin," she turned to look at him. "He took your hand, and he killed Milah." She had to assume that by now he'd seen the tattoo - that couldn't just get washed away by the Veil, could it? "That's all I know."

[unhand]

He uses his hook to pull down his sleeve, looking at the tattoo on his arm. "Milah," he said softly. "I've no idea who she is." Except that clearly he cared about her enough to tattoo her name on him. And judging from Emma's initial reaction, Hook had been after this Rumpelstiltskin/Gold guy long enough that she didn't think he'd give up.

He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He knew he didn't like Gold. But knowing it was because Gold took Killian's hand and some girl he didn't even remember...

Well, he didn't know how that made him feel.

He looked over at Emma. Exchange of information, that was what this was. "Henry. The child's name is Henry, and he's in Storybrooke. You weren't exactly forthcoming with more information than that." He raised an eyebrow, leaning in like he was going to impart some great secret. "I've mentioned you're not very trusting, haven't I? You really should work on that."

[uncurse]

"You're one to talk," she raised her eyebrows at the tattoo. Admittedly, he'd told her all she'd asked, and all she needed to know. It wasn't as though they'd seen this situation coming and opted to share life stories. And, she was hardly surprised Hook didn't know more about Henry.

The name didn't even resonate as familiar. Like, the Veil had just cleaved any trace of it from her mind on her way into this world. Assuming he was the only child she remembered having - it was a boy, she'd known it was a boy - then he should be in Storybrooke because he was adopted, not because of her. That was what a closed adoption meant.

He was safe, and happy, with a family that would give him his best chance. The same as Snow had tried to give Emma hers. He wouldn't want anything to do with a woman who'd given him up from prison, and he certainly wouldn't want anything to do with her knowing she didn't remember the first thing about him. She knew that firsthand, now that she'd seen David.

There wasn't anything she could offer him, with that.

As she considered this, she also considered Hook's remark. Her refusal to trust, to share details, the fact that they'd both been guilty about it and been unable to help more than on a surface level.

"I gave him up." A beat. She went on to clarify. "The kid you're talking about, I gave him up. He's got a family, and Storybrooke's not here. Believe me, I looked."

[unhand]

He wasn't surprised to hear it. He didn't know much about the geography of Maine or how it related to other worlds, but he knew curses. If time had frozen there as it did elsewhere, it would be much simpler, he supposed, to create a town for the purpose rather than just move into one. Otherwise they'd have to deal with other people.

"That's lucky, then." He did appreciate the shared detail, though. As little as it was, well, she probably didn't have much else to offer. "I'd tell you more about this Milah, but all I've got is the tattoo. Wish I'd gotten them to do her face."

[uncurse]

That made a small smirk tug over Emma's lips. She shook her head, not looking at him as she arched one eyebrow and corrected him. "No, you wouldn't."

It didn't matter much, though, and Emma didn't feel particularly entitled to knowing about it. If he didn't want to share, he wouldn't. The important details were there: big love, big loss, big hard-on for vengeance. Except he didn't have that, anymore. After a silence, she pressed.

"What are you gonna do about Gold?"

[unhand]

"I don't know." He still sort of wanted to stab Gold, though he hadn't yet. Now he had a reason to want to, but it didn't feel real. How could he get revenge for a slight he didn't even remember? "He didn't seem to recognize me when we talked."

[uncurse]

"I think the Veil took something from him, too. I don't know for sure how much." Her tone gave indication that while she didn't know yet, she certainly planned to find out. Her discourse in the library with Gold had given her the heads up that something wasn't entirely right, so she couldn't claim to be too surprised that he didn't appear to remember Hook.

She wasn't quite sure yet if she was glad they dodged that catastrophe or if she would just look forward to being bothered by never quite understanding what had transpired. Curiosity was a hell of a thing, that way.

[unhand]

"I think he remembers her, though." He tapped his hook against the tattoo. "His crocodile's got the same name."

[uncurse]

That had Emma's brow furrowing, and she glanced at Hook's tattoo for a long moment, considering it.

"Doesn't make much sense." She mused aloud, "Why name a pet after the woman you killed?" She was with Hook. Hook's lover, or whatever else, that Rumpelstiltskin had killed. So why would Gold name a crocodile after her? She had a feeling she wouldn't really get an opportunity to find out, given that Hook didn't remember, and Emma never knew. Gold wasn't known for being forthcoming.

[unhand]

"He seems like a right prick," Hook noted, letting his sleeve fall back over the tattoo. "Maybe he did it just to tick me off." Though it didn't quite add up. Gold hadn't recognised Hook, he was sure of that. Even if he had, Gold hadn't known Hook would be around, surely. Hook hadn't known Hook would be around.

[uncurse]

The shrug Emma offered was all she could, and it clearly expressed - she didn't know. They never would, really. But she still wanted to be alone, so she didn't make any effort to move the conversation elsewhere, either.

[unhand]

He watched her for a few more moments, standing silently, then glanced back at the ballroom.

"Do you want to dance?"

[uncurse]

"I don't dance."

It could be worse, of course. She could have simply said not with him. She shook her head, arching her eyebrows and nodding her head to indicate back inside.

"Plenty of other wiling partners."

[unhand]

"Wasn't asking them." It wasn't the dance he wanted, it was her.

[uncurse]

"Maybe you should." It wasn't particularly friendly to say, but Emma wasn't trying for friendly. She was trying to keep him at a distance that he apparently wasn't satisfied with.

[unhand]

"Maybe I would if I wanted to." He stepped in a little closer to her instead. "I hardly need your permission."

[uncurse]

"No, you don't," she conceded, not bothering to disguise the fact that she was sizing him up as her gaze dropped to give him a once-over. She steadied her attention back on his face, then. "I can think of a lot of other things you need." There was threat to the way she said it, a response to the fact that she felt threatened by his closeness, perhaps, or the unavoidable undertones of it combined with a declaration of not needing her permission. Things like a punch in the face, perhaps.

[unhand]

If the threat was supposed to dissuade Hook, well, she clearly didn't know him well. He could see this ending very poorly, and he didn't care. Wasn't worth doing anything if he didn't throw everything into it. He brings his good hand up to caress her face, running his thumb along her jawbone lightly while his knuckles curled in her hair. "I can think of some things you need too."

[uncurse]

Emma didn't slap his hand away, but she also didn't melt into it in the way she supposed he was looking for. There was a flutter in her chest that she hastily stomped out, and a warming of her skin, but she ignored it ardently. Instead, she fixed him with an intolerant, long-suffering look. Her jaw was tight, and she made no move to say anything, just glowered at him in the expectation that he'd back off.

[unhand]

Oh, he'd back off. But not right away. First, he leaned in and brushed his lips against the corner of her mouth, barely enough to have it qualify as a kiss.

Then he stepped away, letting his hand slip away from her face.

[uncurse]

Her heart pounded in her ears as he drew closer, and it leaped in her chest at the brief contact. Her breath hitched and she was too numb to move until he was stepping away, then reality crashed back in and she took her own sudden step back, anger and indignation rising to replace the fuzzy feelings she wanted so dearly to forget.

"What the hell was that?!"

Except it wasn't Hook she'd asked that. She felt dizzy at the memory. Graham suddenly pulling her in. She reached up and dragged the back of her hand over her lips, taking another, more staggered step backward. She hadn't had to think about that since …

She found herself steadying herself on the stone wall beside the enormous doors of the ballroom, looking away from Hook. Dammit. She needed to collect herself, compose herself, not lose it like this.

But no one had done that since Graham.

The words were out of her mouth bitterly before she could stop them, though they sounded distant and disconnected, and it was more obvious they weren't necessarily direct at Hook: "That was way over the line."

[unhand]

He shrugged, watching her carefully. How long had it been since she was kissed? Who was it that had given her such a reaction to a simple kiss? It had been a liberty he was taking, of course, but he'd expected violence, not... shock.

"Pirate, love. Lines don't mean all that much to me." He took a step toward her again. He'd meant to go back to the ballroom, but this was too interesting. "Besides, you could've pushed me away." She hadn't, though. Not even close.

rewatched the last 2 mins of the heart is a lonely hunter for this. cried deeply.

[uncurse]

Graham? Graham!

Her own desperate shouts echoed in her ears until it was deafening.

Maybe the Veil wasn't entirely a curse. Maybe some of the things they forgot were to their benefit.

"Get out of here," she said quickly, straightening and turning towards him as she stepped away, pulling herself out of his reach. Her tone was hard, but shaken.

you're so brave

[unhand]

"No." He stepped towards her again. "I know my kisses have a profound effect on most women, but this is something else." That was barely a kiss, and she's really panicking. He reaches out his good hand to touch her arm. "Tell me what's wrong."

my heart tho

[uncurse]

Her head cocked, she cracked her neck, and she shrugged her shoulder back, pulling her arm out of his grasp in a gesture of severe discomfort. She took a moment to collect herself, took a deep breath.

"What's wrong is you're about to lose the other hand if you touch me again."