knightsoflegend | after-party ♔

Entry tags:

after-party ♔

♬ Jeux d'eau - Ravel

WHO || Wynn, any and all Knights not currently on missions
WHAT || Squiring Ceremony Afterparty
WHERE || Knights Headquarters, the Ballroom
WHEN || Mar 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.

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[Three months. That's how long it had been since she'd come through the veil and yet in all that time, she never felt more sure of who she was in this moment, with a perfect stranger. She'd thought fighting in Chicago had felt right, natural even. That had nothing on this.]

Hrmm... [Eyes narrowed.] I suppose I have to give you something to look forward to.

[For the first time that evening, she was actually grateful for the heels, those three inches giving her at least a little more height, though he was still insanely taller than she was, the difference close to comical as he led her through the mix of people, Rose barely aware of thos they passed as he took the lead.

Why should thought dancing was a good idea was beyond her, she couldn't really do it, certainly not well but that was just an unimportant detail in her mind, Rose turning into Dimitri as they come to a stop in the middle of a group of other couples.]

I promise not to tease you if you step on my toes.

[Hand out for him to take this time, allowing him to lead.]

[He took her hand in his and gentle pulled her toward him, his other hand resting lightly on her hip in the proper place.]

Dancing isn't too unlike fighting, I would hope. Just different footwork.

[In which case, he should be able to manage just fine. He begins to step, to lead her in the dance. (Perform 15) And Rose is lucky, not only does he manage not to step on her toes, but he seems to know what he's doing as well.

He has an eye out for people around them as well, to avoid collisions and keep track of steps. An ability in multi-tasking comes in handy in many different circumstances.]

[He was right in the end, it wasn't unlike fighting, which was perhaps why they seemed so perfectly matched (Kid you not Perform 15), Rose not needing to watch what her feet were doing as she tilted her chin up to meet his eyes.]

You know. For somebody who says that he's not much of a dancer... you do it very well.

[Arguably for the first time that night, she found herself dropping her guard, more taken with the person that was leading her than who and what was going on around her.]

Is there anything else you're not much of, so I know for future reference?

[His slight grin turned into a full on smile, rare for him if he was being honest, and his gaze fell away to glance down at the floor for a brief moment as if he were embarrassed.]

Perhaps I have more practice than I knew.

[Because he doesn't remember. And just like her, this is the first time all night he hasn't been on constant alert to every movement going on around him. He's just...being.]

I wish I could tell you. Sadly, I don't remember much before the past few months.

[God. That smile. It made a warmth spread through her chest, made her own widen to match his, her only disappointment being that his eyes dropped away from hers, Rose wishing she could ask him to look at her again, but having the sense not to.

Clearly, this Dimitri guy was having far too much of an affect on her.]

Oh don't worry Comrade, you're not alone in that.

[Something odd happened to her when she said those words, another tiny spark of recollection, familiarity, something that she once again couldn't truly grasp. It was there one second then gone the next, Rose having to shake it off.]

I'm just grateful I remember my name. So we have that in common at least.

[The hand that rested lightly on his shoulder seeming to give him a gentle squeeze, the muscle she felt beneath her fingers filling Rose's head with all sorts of images that were not appropriate for a ballroom.]

[The nickname nearly made him falter, but all he did outwardly was blink away a brief moment of nostalgia and confusion, and an overwhelming but quickly passing sense of deja vu.

He recovered quickly enough, though. His lips perked back up as she gently gave his shoulder a squeeze, as if in sympathy or...something else.]

Shadowkind. [He said the word as if it held an aura of mystery.] I'm not sure it's the word I would choose to describe us.

[And yet he'd heard the term often enough in Siberia.]

[The word Shadowkind held more meaning to Rose, her lips parting as if she might share with this man, the brunette catching herself before her secrets could tumble out. She'd been very tight-lipped about who she was, admitting only to having trained and to what she was, her race, but not what she really was.

To think, almost without hesitation, she was about to tell this stranger all of it. She was going to have to watch herself around Dimitri Belikov.]

And how would you describe us then?

[The flirtatious tone back in her voice, Rose's head tilting to one side as she gazed up at his face, already liking the way they so easily became an us, even if it wasn't for those reasons.]

[His eyebrow rose in amusement, the corner of his mouth twitching yet again. Who would have thought that the strange girl he'd been eyeing across the room would have this kind of relaxing effect on him. Also intriguing that she liked to perfectly twist his words to suit her purposes. She could be dangerous.]

I'm not sure. It just feels darker than the actual circumstances of our arrival. As if we're supposed to remain in the shadows simply because we didn't choose to come here.

[It was probably a more serious answer than she was looking for.]

[Her smile faded, only a little, hanging from his words for reasons that went beyond the simple fact that the Russian accent on a voice that deep and wonderful did things to her body that were once again, not appropriate for a ballroom.]

What like we're outcasts. [Managing to put things in the most basic of terms.] Maybe. [A beat.] Or, maybe we're just special.

[Grin widening once more. Though despite her joking, she understood the point he was making. They didn't belong in this world, no matter what they did or tried to do. They would never be truly a part of anything. Except maybe the Knighthood.]

Is that why you joined then? To be a part of something?

A bit of both, I think. We're simply different. Some don't handle different as well as others.

[It felt like, in a way, she already knew him. Perhaps it was their similar circumstances, but there was still this feeling he couldn't shake.]

That was a big part of it, yes.

[Her eyes never strayed from his face as he spoke, the jokes not coming quite as easily now as she really thought about what he was saying.]

And you want to make a difference.

[It wasn't a question. She just felt sure of those words as soon as they left her mouth.]

You want to help people, keep them safe. Because it's right, not just because you want to be part of something bigger than you.

[And just like that, the rest of the party is gone. His ears couldn't hear anything else, because everything she said was just so...perfect, that it seemed like a waste to hear anything else.]

Yes. That's exactly it.

[His head tilted slightly, a confused and almost awe-struck expression on his face.]

[Rose's lips twitch a little, a warmth flooding her, for the first time since she'd been here, feeling at ease, as if she perfectly understood what she was doing here, what she was supposed to do next.]

Don't look so surprised, comrade. Isn't that what we all want?

[Rose almost trying to make less of her insight as she tore her eyes away from his, a small smile playing on her lips as she found herself a little closer to him than before, as if throughout this dance, both the verbal and the physical one, she had been drawn in.]

[His strange expression shifted again, into another near-smile.]

That's just it, I don't think so. I think that may be part of the reason a lot of us are here, but I'm sure there are others. Glory. Adrenaline. Simply to obtain power. All are valid reasons, and so long as the results are used for the sake of the Knights, I don't think anyone would mind.

[He looks at her as they step to the music, intrigued by her more than anything else he can remember.]

What about you? Is that why you're here?

What me?

[For a moment she considered telling him the truth, that like him, she wanted to make a difference as well, that she knew why he chose this because she chose it for the very same reasons. That however, would be too simple for Rose and with a Bluff of 25 she lied smoothly.]

Oh I'm in it for the glory.

[And yet despite her straight faced lie and the slight sarcasm in her tone, she got the feeling this man might be able to see straight through her, that thought both exhilarating and terrifying.]

Plus the three meals a day and a bed to sleep in doesn't hurt.

[Which given how she'd lived after coming through the veil, it wasn't as much of a lie.]

Yes you.

[And then because the dice are clearly psychic, Dimitri rolls a fucking nat 20 on his sense motive check.]

Is that so?

[His tone indicates he doesn't believe that at all. That while glory may be a thing she likes, that's not why she's here. It's written all over his face.]

That is a nice extra perk, yes.

[His living situation wasn't terrible, but it wasn't ideal, either. It also lacked quite a bit in the sleeping in safety department when he was working.]

[A moment passes between them as she holds his gaze and they both know what the other seems to be thinking. For all his intimidating presence, she'd found it far easier to pretend to Wynn than she did with the Russian before her.]

And... [A moment's hesitation.] Maybe for the same reasons you chose it.

[But that was about as much as she would say, her eyes dropping away from his, as if she'd allowed him to see too much, her thumb rubbing his shoulder as she held him in this dance, almost without thinking about it.]

It feels familiar. [She went on.] A little more... fancy than what I think I'm used to but still. Almost like I've been here before.

[That feeling intensified from the moment she'd encountered Dimitri in person.]

[That makes him smile again, because even though he somehow knew he was right, there was something about her admitting it, proving him that it wasn't just wishful thinking on his part.]

That's what I thought.

[He licked his lips as she looked away, noticing how long her eyelashes were.]

Maybe. [He didn't really know, but he had the same feeling when he'd first walked into the room.] It feels odd not to be guarding the perimeter.

[Because that's what he'd be doing normally. Not dancing.]

[That made her lift her eyes once more, Rose's head tilting to one side as she craned her neck to meet his gaze. Funny, that was exactly the sort of thing she'd been trained to do and yet, she had no memories of doing it. It sounded familiar, but didn't feel it.]

So you like to watch then?

[Her lips twitching a little as she seized the opportunity to try and make him smile again.]

And yet I would have picked you as a man of action.

[Oh come on like she couldn't go there. Who in their right mind didn't like the images those words conjured up.]

It was my job. Before I was told about all of this.

[When he was a bodyguard. And no, he doesn't miss that innuendo. The mention of watching certainly had the corner of his mouth twitching again, but as she'd assumed, his lips cracked into a smile at the rest.

She was welcome to play this game. He even leaned his face a bit closer, tilted his head, and gave her a dangerous look.]

When the situation calls for it. [He said it low in the back of his throat.] You have no idea what I'm capable of.

[If Dimitri Belikov was trying his hands at melting her clothing straight off? He was doing one hell of a job of it, heat burning in her cheeks as she stared at him and though Rose tried to contain it, a low, just audible groan rumbled in her chest as she blinked several times, licking her lips.

Oh you have no how much she'd like to find out now, you six foot seven, Russian god, Rose holding his shoulder a little tighter in reply before she managed to recover.]

So... what's a girl gotta do to get a demonstration?

[She's not even trying to hide the attraction now. He just made that impossible.]

[He's pretty sure he does, just based on that reaction. He can read you like a book, Rose Hathaway.]

I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[Back to his normal self already, because things are getting a little too intense, and there's probably people watching now.]

I spend quite a bit of time in the training area. If you're not afraid of a little full contact.

[Said with a completely level and calm voice. Because he's totally talking about training now. Yup. No hidden subtext at all.]

[Uh... Tease. He was such a damn tease. Oh well, it wouldn't be Rose if that didn't make him all the more appealing to her, the brunette perfectly oblivious to any looks they may have been getting on account of the fact that she only had eyes for her tall Russian right then.]

Oh I'm never afraid of full contact.

[Just because he could manage to keep his tone casual and steady, didn't mean Rose had to play that way.]

If you think you can take me that is. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, after all.

[Always with the double entandres.]

Then there's a good chance we might be fighting side-by-side someday. All the more reason to see what you're capable of.

[He can certainly appreciate it, though again they do have reputations they should probably be trying to uphold. Seeing as they've only been officially in this organization for a couple of hours, max.]

I don't plan on underestimating you. It'd probably be a good idea for you to do the same.

[She kept trying to bait him and yet now, he wasn't biting, Rose maybe more than a little disappointed by that. It was funny really. He was hardly the first person she'd flirted with all night, he was however the first she actually meant it with, which should have perhaps told her something...]

Ohhh I see. So you want to be sure that I won't drop the ball in the field?

[Brow raised, half teasing but perhaps just a touch serious now, Rose able to switch between flirting and duty with a snap of the fingers.]

Don't worry Comrade. [She winked, though not in the flirtatious way she had been up until this point, more as if to suggest that the challenge, was accepted.] I wouldn't dream of it.

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