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

♬ 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.

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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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[As if in direct defiance to the fact that this is obviously a classy affair, the Knight merrily winding his way through the crowd sports nothing in the way of formal apparel, whatsoever. Instead, he wears a ratty long black coat that seems to have seen many, many better days from the number of cuts, marks, rips, tears and what look like claw marks in the leather. Heavy black boots that are just as scuffed ring across the ballroom floor, and even his clothing beneath looks just as rumpled as the rest of him. There's a remarkable cheerfulness about his demeanor, and when he spots Merlin, he walks confidently in his direction, snatching a flute of champagne off a passing tray and downing a large gulp of it.]

And you must be Merlin. [He announces it with amusement, looking him up and down and grinning]

[The man certainly stands out in what are, presumably, his own clothes. Merlin finds himself watching him, secretly admiring him for it. One thing that Merlin didn't forget is the ceremonial robes of the servants of Camelot and that ridiculous hat. How he would've given anything to be able to wear his own clothes at the time.]

[Merlin's surprised to see him heading his way, and pushes himself up to stand a little straight.]

Yeah, must be.

[He offers a nervous smile.]

I mean, I am. Merlin.

[Merlin offers his hand before noticing the champagne flute in the other man's.]

[It's ok, Merlin. Thomas has two of them. Still, he downs the rest of his glass and drops it on the table nearby before slapping his hand into Merlin's extended one to give him a solid handshake, accompanied by a clap on the shoulder]

Most excellent to make your acquaintance, dear boy. We'll be seeing quite a bit of each other, it seems.

[Merlin feels like he's being shaken apart by the handshake, but he smiles at the enthusiasm of the greeting. It reminds him of someone.]

[The other man's words sink in before Merlin can place it though, and his smile drops, leaving him looking suddenly more serious.]

Oh...you're...?

[Merlin points at him with his free hand, eyes slightly wider.]

The one and only, I'm afraid. [He steps backwards enough to do a fancy half-bow] Thomas Bancroft, Dragon's Claw extraordinaire.

No, I'm...

[Tongue-tied, apparently, the evening as a whole slightly overwhelming for him. But he smiles, swallows hard and pushes forward.]

It's an honor.

[Merlin bows in return, glancing the man up and down as he rises, eyes bright and curious about who he's been assigned to.]

An honor, is it? [His lip quirks up in evident amusement.] Well. It seems I certainly have a lot to live up to.

[He looks the boy up and down, and slowly walks around him.]

You're a mage. [It's stated as a fact, as if he's listing out Merlin's obvious qualities and appraising them.] Arthur's Famous Wizard: [he chuckles] though I don't put much stock in legends keeping reality straight.

Rather young, I'd say, but not the youngest Knight I've seen. Granted, your face hasn't yet grown into your ears, but you possess a certain... soulful charm, nonetheless - must be the eyes. [He grins again wickedly, as if he knows only too well, his own unearthly blue eyes the only point of exceptional note on his scruffy face. He leans closer, conspiratorially] You'll find the women love that. Once you get over stumbling over your own tongue.

[He leans back, apparently satisfied] Yes, you'll do quite well, I think, for a squire. I look forward to our time together, and will endeavor to teach you everything I know. [He waves a hand grandly. And then cuts another smile back, dropping the hand] So that you can pick and choose which parts you intend to forget.

[Merlin glances back over his shoulder, watching as Bancroft circles him and feeling slightly nervous for it. Arthur's famous wizard. He doesn't remember being famous, doesn't even recall the name the druids had for him.]

[He blinks, touches his ear when they're mentioned, but then leans closer and lifts his brows. Women will love his eyes? Why yes, he just might remember that. Merlin smiles and relaxes a little more. He even laughs a little at the last thing he says.]

No, I look forward to it as well. All of it.

[And now he can't stop smiling, looking bright and eager. He thinks he's a squire for someone quite...interesting.]

When can I start? Learning, I mean.

Certainly eager enough. [There's a teasing note to it, but he sounds pleased by the fact.] I always say the real learning happens out there on the fly, but if you'd like to curl up with some dusty books that'll detail everything you never knew you wanted to know, you can help yourself to the library - or the mage's library, which is entirely different and on the opposite end of the castle and full of all kinds of books that will get you into endless trouble.

Weapon training will probably begin, oh, say next week or so? As for the rest, we'll forge our own trail through time as we please.

A library...with more than one book?

[The majority of Merlin's learning has been from, yep, one book. But if anything, it taught him how to improvise. But he'll definitely be checking that place out.]

I quite like the sound of that.

[He must. Merlin's grinning like the idiot Arthur accuses him of being.]

As far as wonders go around here, that ranks far at the bottom, I'd say.

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

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