feast & after-party ♔ empty my heart | i've got to make room for this feeling

[wynn]

♬ Can't Take It In - Imogen Heap

WHO || Wynn, the new Squires, any and all Knights
WHAT || Squiring Ceremony Feast & Afterparty
WHERE || Knights Headquarters, the Dining Hall & Ballroom
WHEN || February 9th, 2012, 7:00PM / 9:00 PM
HOW || Prose OR Actionspam

While every dinner served in the Knights' exceptionally large Dining Hall manages to have a sense of occasion, given the sheer quantity of food necessary to serve the hundreds who take their meals there, the 'feast' Wynn's ordered for after this squiring party outdoes the norm. It's not a problem to produce so much food at the drop of the hat when mages can magically summon up entire banquets, and so the room teems over with the smells and spices of hundreds of unique dishes. Centerpieces built with peacock feathers and sweet smelling flowers dot the table at intervals. A silver cage in the very middle of the table includes several live birds, their feet and tufts each appearing to be silver as well. A banner hangs from the top of the cage, with the Knight's symbol of a black dragon on a silver field.

The food has a distinctly medieval flair to it today, which several of the older Shadowkind Knights express their boisterous appreciation for as they dive in. The first course consists of a civet of hare, a quarter of salted stag, a stuffed chicken and a loin of veal, the latter two covered with a German sauce with gilt sugar-plums and pomegranate seeds. At each end of the table is an enormous pie, surmounted with smaller pies, which form a crown. The crust of the large ones is silvered all round and gilt at the top; each contains a whole roe-deer, a gosling, three capons, six chickens, ten pigeons, and one young rabbit. Serving as seasoning or stuffing, a minced loin of veal, two pounds of fat, and twenty-six hard-boiled eggs, covered with saffron and flavoured with cloves.

A second course follows: aroe-deer, a pig, a sturgeon cooked in parsley and vinegar, and covered with powdered ginger; a kid, two goslings, twelve chickens, as many pigeons, six young rabbits, two herons, a leveret, a fat capon stuffed, four chickens covered with yolks of eggs and sprinkled with spiced powder de Duc, and even a wild boar.

Next came wafers and stars; a jelly, part white and part blue. A fourth course of cream with Duc powder, covered with fennel seeds preserved in sugar; a white cream, cheese in slices, and strawberries; and, lastly, plums stewed in rose-water.

Besides these four courses, there's a fifth, entirely composed of wines, and of preserves, which consist of fruits and various sweet pastries in the shapes of dragons.

---------------------------

Following this, assuming anyone is still capable of moving at all is the after-party: a black-tie affair in the lavish, opulent ballroom, every new Knight's chance to mingle and meet some of their new brothers in arms. Per usual, a couple hours are provided following the feast 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. 

All open feast threads should be made under the FEAST heading below. Any other threads below will be for the after-party. Feel free to make your own open threads for people to come congratulate your newly pledged knight.

Comments

FEAST THREADS

[wynn]

[All feast threads should go under this heading, please. \o/ ]

[king]

[ It's sort of gratifying, really. To see that well over a thousand years after the end of his reign, people would still know his name. No doubt a lot of that is down to Wynn and his Order, but it makes Arthur feel hopeful, that knowledge and greatness can well and truly immortalize a man. ]

[ That doesn't make the staring and whispering any easier, but neither does it feel unfamiliar to have eyes on him and gossip at his back. ]

[ What does feel unfamiliar is to have his servant seated, a knight, beside him at the table instead of a few steps behind. Regardless, he's pleased for Merlin, in his own way, as pleased as he was to find out he wasn't stranded in this brave new world alone. ]

[ Arthur serves himself sparingly, but still seems to find his plate piled high by the time he lifts his fork to eat. He's genuinely concerned he may not be able to stop eating pie long enough to try everything else. But he's not here for the food, really, and he's as interested in absorbing the details and conversation of all these people as they seem to be of him. ]

[servant]

[He's going to take his Knighthood very seriously. But Merlin would be lying if he said he wasn't looking forward to this feast, and isn't lying frowned upon? It's a luxury to be able to sit down and eat at a feast like this, while it's actually happening instead of later. But as course after course keeps coming, Merlin starts to think that it's a bit excessive, even by Camelot's standards.]

[Arthur seems more interested in the people than the food, but he still has his plate piled high, and seems to favor some things over others. Namely, the pie.]

Are you sure you should eat all that?

[And there it is, that familiar voice that followed him through time to rain on his self-led parade.]

You need to stay fighting fit.

[slays]

[ Buffy is not tactful enough for staring and whispering. So, after some brief ogling from afar, she goes to find a place across from Arthur and Merlin at the table. At first, it's just a couple surreptitious glances, but then finally, she sets down her utensils and leans over the table. ]

Don't you kind of belong, you know, up there? [ She points up toward the head of the table toward Wynn. ] I mean, you are really -- [ She looks doubtful suddenly. ] I mean, you can't really be ...

[bigbad]

[Spike's heard of Arthur, of course. But between the fact that all his memories that don't have to do with the television show Passions are hazy at best and the part where he makes a point of not being overly impressed with anyone, royalty or not, he just looks across the table at Arthur and inclines his head a bit.]

Arthur, was it?

[nepotism]

[Fred can't stop himself from wandering down from his seat, under the pretext of grabbing some of the pies from the display on this end of the table, but really so he can also stop and introduce himself.

He comes to a halt a few steps away, flashing a smile, pie in hand.]

So let me guess: you ate like this every day.

[befree]

[Katniss feels an uncomfortable sense of familiarity in sitting and gorging on as much food as possible, something she knows deep down isn't normal for her to be able to do. But she's starving, and so she eats, far far more than she should.

By now her curiosity about the man Wynn had called by a royal title was practically burning, but she made no effort to speak to him at this point. She kept her eyes on her own food and her attention on devouring it. At various points she attempts to mimic the good manners of some of the Knights around her, but eventually she just abandons hope of looking as good as any of them and eats however she wants to.

At the point she becomes incredibly full, she shoves her plate away and busies herself staring at her lap. She should probably be socializing with the others, but that's rather hard to do when you have nothing to say to anyone and no desire to fake things to say just for the sake of conversation.]

[king]

[ She has been watching him all bloody evening. In fairness, she's not the only one, but every time he'd glanced down the line of squires, there had been the pretty, dark-haired girl, watching him, assessing him as though they were going to have to fight. ]

[ Some people are jealous of power, of schemers, and he knows that and should ignore it. But this girl swore to the same code he did, despite being a woman, and a shared knighting ceremony was always an occasion for fraternity rather than rivalry. Arthur has no interest in making an enemy. Of course, he doesn't realize the best way to manage that would probably be to not try talking with her. ]

[ People are mingling, and there's a seat vacant next to Katniss, who seems to inhale food with the finesse and rapidity of a sow in a trough. But hen, his idiot manservant does much the same thing, so it's easy to make the assumption she's a commoner. He takes his plate and changes seats, slipping quietly in next to her and watching her as he nibbles a pastry shaped like a dragon — head first — waiting for the next time she looks up. ]

[militarized]

Whoa, there. [ Ethan seats himself near Katniss, chuckling at her appetite. ] It's not gonna run away if you let it sit on your plate too long, you know.

[everyredcent]

[Christos is across the table, just a few seats down from Katniss, and he seems to be just as unlikely to engage in conversation with most of the people around him. The majority of the things the squires are saying just seems to draw glances of contempt from him, when he even bothers to look over at all, and he classily sips out of a glass of wine as he meanders through the courses, certainly not stuffing himself.

He does, however, shoot several looks down her way that seem to involve genuine curiosity, as if he's taking in her social mannerisms and assessing them. He nods at her once, when they make eye contact.]

ota;

[ironsides]

[Sir Dovan and Sir Lan seem to be enjoying the spread in particular, given that it's more in line with their idea of a festive meal than what they usually get around this place. Dovan downs mug after mug of ale to wash down the many plates being cleared out in front of him, pounding a fist on the table as he relates a story to Lan and ... anyone who will listen]

And then I told him if wanted to fight, I'd show 'em a fight! But the moment he sees me pick up an axe, what do you think he does? That gun starts shaking so hard in his damn hand, he drops the fool thing and runs right into the elevator door! [He starts hooting out laughter at that.]

[king]

Yes, very funny.

[ Arthur side-eyes the hairy drunkard who seems to be boasting of his achievements, doesn't bother even pretending to be impressed. But then, he's missing some key information. ]

So, what's a gun?

ota;

[sirsolace]

[Not everyone is seeming to enjoy the festivities, however. Sir Solace, the bald headed, somber leader of the cleric's sect, hardly touches a single plate, even as food is passed over and around him many times. His eyes seem to be mostly on watching Wynn, and the movements of the new squires, though he sometimes speaks in a low voice to Sir Hasmed, beside him, who looks equally line facey.]

[spymaster]

[It's the fact that he's hardly touching his food, and his observing the new squires that catches James's eye, makes him lean towards the pair of particularly line facey individuals.]

Is something troubling you two sirs? Or are we more, interesting then we seem to realize to you?

[His own food is rather untouched as well as he leans forward, more a keen, curious look on his face then that of an excited new member.]

ota;

[slays]

[ Andie must be loving this.

It's pretty much all that occurs to Buffy as she takes her seat. The goal, she's pretty sure, is more squirely bonding, but she's not even sure she's bonded herself, still feeling a little out of sorts despite the best efforts of knights and squires alike. So, she does more observing of other people's stories than sharing of her own.

But, she makes for a very active listener, and she's more than happy to partake in the food portion of the evening. Finding offices and sleeping through the night, she could use some additional skill points there. But, eating? That's something she's really good at. ]

[befree]

[Katniss has taken notice of the blonde not very far down to her right, but waits until the table starts clearing out before turning to stare on over at her. Normal people would just get up and go over to the person to speak to them, but Katniss isn't exactly normal.

So she just stares at the side of Buffy's face, willing the other girl to turn around and notice her. If she doesn't, it's not a big loss. She doesn't need to speak to someone else. It just would be nice to find an ally or two right from the start. And the blonde looks nice enough, and is able to pack away food about as well as Katniss herself, so it only makes sense to start there in ally seeking.

Of course, all the Knights were supposed to be her allies. But trusting that many people at once is worse than being torn apart by dogs, so she'll start off small.]

[bigbad]

[Buffy is one of the very few people Spike's come to actually like and get along with, so it's something of a no brainer to sit near her. He serves himself helpings from several of the dishes, along with a generous glass of wine before he turns toward her.]

So, my knight's not only smelly, he's a complete ass. How are you, love?

ota;

[militarized]

[ The extravagance of the Dining Hall never ceases to amaze him. Still, Ethan manages to give the impression that he's underwhelmed as he seats himself, piling his plate high because he is a fat cow. He is, however, eager to chat people up, so he'll be telling war stories. By which I mean no stories that involve actual war, but rather stories about his buddies in the RAF and their fun times back at the barracks or out in the training fields. ]

ota

[bigbad]

[Spike has not been enjoying his first week as a knight. He is not pleased with who he was squired too, and if anyone so much as MENTIONS firewood, he might fly off the bloody handle.

So he is drinking a lot of wine and pretending he's in a better mood than he is. That's healthy, right?]

OTA;

[spymaster]

[It's a lot of information, all of these people in this one room, with all the food around as well. Everyone's so different, and while at first it had been interesting (there were those that weren't human that particularly caught his eye), it was growing more then a bit dull.

Which was why he was now leaning back, looking as bored as an older man can, ignoring the fact that he looks only a touch out of place with the crowd of much younger appearing (at the very least) other squires.]

[lightblindbadass]

[Riddick says nothing while he eats, cautiously trying the food at first as if he's expecting nothing more than gruel, or for it to be poisoned. He then begins to dig in heartily, knowing a damn good meal when he tastes it, and there seems to be some others at this table with manners almost as bad as his anyway. He takes it easy on the drinking, having only one glass of wine, then switching to water after that. Wouldn't pay to dull the senses.

His eyes are constantly moving under his welders goggles, studying each of the different squires individually, storing what knowledge he can of them. He tries to pick out their individual conversations, garnering what information about them that he can from the loud rumble of voices throughout the hall. The more one know's about who he's working with, the better off he'll be. That's how he'd survived this long, anyhow.]

[aproperdoctor]

[Apparently Martha has better table manners than a lot of you guys - not that she's rubbing it in or anything, but, seriously, her mum would smack these people if they tried to eat like this at her table. Or give them Withering Francine Jones Death Glares, which, as Martha can testify, is pretty much worse than being smacked. Were you lot raised in a barn or something? :| (Except for Arthur, who obviously was not raised in a barn.)

She does, however, find quite a lot of the food strange - is that a goat? And chickens covered in egg yolks? Yeah, she's just gonna stick to things that are easily recognisable. And maybe some pie.]

[socialgraces]

[Francesca arrives later than most to the feast, but she knows she has a seat saved. She missed the general 'WTF?!' of the night, not having attended the ceremony, but the gossip traveled fast and she was already enlightened before arriving to the dinner.

She's not dressed as fancy as the last party, and chose a more simple black cocktail dress. She moves through the hall quietly, not wishing to draw attention to her arrival and takes her reserved seat next to her friend.]

How was the ceremony? [She turns to ask the woman now next to her as she settles into her seat.]

ota

[asap]

[One of the problems with superspeed is a super short attention span. And, on occasion, the memory of a goldfish. Which is why Andie runs into the hall about an hour late.

She looks around awkwardly, then gives a wide, sheepish grin.]

Hi guys! Ooh, food!

[She rushes to an empty seat and starts piling her plate high.]

[piratitude]

[All in all, Andrea seems to have settled into this rather nicely. Sure, she both looks and feels out of place, even among the other Shadowkind, but she's not one to particularly care about appearances. She'd taken their vows. She could work on the fitting in part later.

Preferably after dinner.

Right now the former pirate is tucked into a more than generously piled plate of food and doing a fair impression of a lawnmower - if in fact she knew what that was. Because seriously, this food is amazing, and there is that small adventurer's instinct to enjoy it while she can.

Which she is. Noisily.]