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

[king]

I was born and raised to be king.

[ Quietly, simply. ]

Eager or not, my people need me.

[slay]

[ Rolling 25 sense motive check for her observiness. It's keen today. Buffy grows a little despondent, concern vaguely lighting in her face, mingled with curiosity. She catches on. He isn't eager for that responsibility, and somehow, she can understand the sentiment. And she doesn't blame him. ]

Guess you'll just have to try and find a way to suffer through until you can get back again. Who knows, you might even enjoy the break. [ It's said with a tone that mingles reassurance and pep, with some wryness emphasizing that she doubts it'll be difficult to 'suffer' through the lack of that weight. ]

[king]

[ That makes a smile break across Arthur's face, and he gives her a momentary brow-wrinkled look, wondering just what it is about this woman, that she understands the duality of duty. Her words shouldn't be as effective as they are, but he finds himself giving a resolute nod. ]

You're absolutely right, of course. And I will help here until I can return.

[ But he could never stay, could never get attached. ]

I'm certainly enjoying this dinner, at any rate. I'm not sure I'll fit into my mail tomorrow.

[slays]

[ The smile gets one of her own, bright and much more at ease. She can't help it -- she feels just a little victorious for wheedling it out of him. ] God, tell me about it. At this point, I'm pretty convinced any and all training is just to help us break even for all the food. And that's only after the requisite coma-recovery.

[king]

I doubt all the meals will be like this.

[ A pause. ]

Or at least I hope not. Not that I mind the company, but I find my self control simply vanishes in the face of that pie.

[slays]

Careful. Don't let any enemies of the Knighthood hear you say so, or they might learn our one weakness. [ She gives a tiny smile at that, then shrugs, dismissive. ] Nah, they're not all like this. But, still pretty plentiful with the food. [ She purses her lips in thought at that, then drops the look for one that's more explanatory. ] I got here last week.

[king]

You're an old hand, then.

[ He chuckles lightly. ]

So go on, share a little ancient wisdom. What have you learned about this place so far?

[slay]

What, you mean you didn't guess from the way I just radiate wisdom and experience? [ There's a sassy smile, but she drops it and gives a shrug. ] Depends what kinda stuff you want to know about. I mean, it's probably gonna be way more culture shock-y for you than me. [ A beat. ] Well, actually, I'm pretty sure I'm American, so on second thought ... it might just balance out. [ Not that he ... knows what that means. So her joke is wasted. ]

[king]

[ It's true, he doesn't even realize that it is a joke. But he has a really important question, leaning across the table. ]

Do you know how to drive a car?

[slays]

[ PFFFT. ]

Of course I know how to drive a -- [ ... Wait. She stops to actually think about it. ] I mean, everyone knows how to ... [ ... N o p e. She's trying to mentally review but it's ... really complicated and scary and inducing of anxiety. ] ... Okay, I probably won't be seeking out any positions in pizza delivery. But pedestrianism is a totally viable career choice.

[king]

Of course it is.

[ He's not really sure what that means. And you don't even know how disappointed he is right now. Arthur's going all pouty and restrained unhappiness. ]

[slay]

Do you not ... ? [ The question feels stupid as soon as it comes out of her mouth, and something dawns on her slowly. She looks downright excited as she calls him out. ] Oh my god, you've totally never even been in a car, have you?!

[king]

Actually, I have.

[ With Wynn. And it was the best experience of his life. ]

It was a lot faster than a horse.

[ His eyes have the gleam of the adrenaline junkie. ]

I look forward to learning to drive one myself.

[slay]

Well, considering it's got several hundred of them under the hood, I'd hope it felt faster than a horse. [ She smiles widely, because oh my god it's so endearing. ] Takes a lot of practice. Lots of rules. You may have met your match in those steel colossus ... es. Colossi? Coloss -- Beasts. [ It's devolved into teasing. ] I bet Wynn'll teach you ASAP. Way handy skill to have.

[king]

Do you think Wynnefalshond knows?

[ An amused glance up the table. ]

He does, after all, have people to do the driving for him.

[slay]

Oh, completely. [ Buffy waves a hand of dismissal. ] It's like a rite of passage. Every teenager learns how to drive. He's probably been driving since before you were in -- [ A beat. No, Arthur was in diapers in like 500 A.D. ] ... Well, before I was in diapers, anyway.

[king]

[ Arthur's eyebrows lift, and he smiles slightly. ]

Doubtlessly.

[ He tips his head. ]

And yet you haven't undergone said rite.

[slays]

Hey, I've undergone! I have way undergone. I just ... [ She makes a kind of ick face. ] Not full of shiny happy driving feelings about the undergoing, that's all.

I mean, I'm sure I've -- [ She's starting to sound more blatantly like she doesn't remember, and she shuts up. Because she's done so well about not talking about the fact that she's a Veil-y. Only a few people knew, and none of them squires. She liked keeping it that way. ]

I can drive. I just ... don't like to. [ It seemed like the best assumption, based on the spastic anxiety trying to imagine driving brought, but she definitely felt like she had learned. She had to have. ]

[king]

How can you not like it?

[ Arthur chooses to disbelieve. Why people aren't driving ALL the cars is completely beyond him. ]

[slays]

I prefer riding. Riding is good. [ A beat. ] Not ... on horses. In the car. Riding as opposed to, say, for instance, driving. I'm a play to my strengths kinda gal that way, I guess.

[king]

And you do, of course, know how to ride a horse?

[slays]

Well ... Yeah. Sure. I mean, not in the strictest definition of the word, but if by "knowing how" you really mean not at all, I'm good. I am so horse-girl.

[king]

[ Arthur laughs. ]

You are ... incredibly strange.

[ And he isn't sure if it's because of the discrepancies between their times or just Buffy herself, but either way, Arthur, way to be smooth. ]

[slays]

Boy, charm school really spared no expense on you, did it? [ She rolls her eyes. ] Besides, I'll bet you say that to all the girls. [ Sarcasm. Does that translate to the Middle Ages? Time to find out. ]

[king]

Not really. Well. Except Merlin.

[ Arthur is unfazed by the sarcasm, which is like a staple of Camelot. ]

But I meant it as a compliment.