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

ota

[lightblindbadass]

[Riddick stands in one of the darkened doorways of the ballroom, barely visible in the deep shadows. He watches the other Knights and squires, observing their behaviors and listening to their conversations.

He'd debated whether or not to come to this thing, and had dressed like he didn't intend to stay long in a black tank top and black military pants with his customary black combat boots, and of course his black welders goggles.

The ten minutes he'd been standing there was pretty much enough to not only confirm he wasn't a "party goer," but that he also really had no idea how to even be social for the fun of it. It looked... stupid.]

[befree]

[It's okay, Katniss thinks these things are stupid and horrible too. She has no idea how to act, and feels like a decorated animal put out on show in her dress and with her hair all done up.

When she spots him, she spends a good five minutes just staring at the goggles. They interest her, and after a great deal of internal debate, provide her with enough curiosity to make her way over to him and talk.

She doesn't normally do the socializing thing, so she's a bit awkward when she moves before him, and just stands there for a moment.]

You aren't like everyone else here.

[She means that as a compliment, as can be told in how relieved her tone of voice is.]

[lightblindbadass]

[He'd seen her coming and was intrigued that she would approach him. Well, not so much that she would, he'd observed her throughout the feast and had been impressed by her mannerisms. He just hadn't expected anyone to notice he was there. He removes his goggles, staying in the barely lit doorway and awaiting her approach. They weren't exactly the most comfortable things to wear all the time.

He says nothing as she stands before him, observing him because he takes the time to do the same with her. Thin to the point of being unhealthy, she had a wariness about her that felt almost animalistic. He definitely understood that. In more ways than not she reminded him of himself when he was younger.

Instinctively he was angry that a little girl was forced to be the way she was. She managed to surprise him again by how relieved she sounded. That made him smile.]

Nope. And neither are you. [A pause.]

Call me Riddick.

[befree]

Katniss.

[She doesn't hold out her hand for a handshake, even though she glances down at his hand as if she's considering it.]

You're right, I don't belong here. Especially not dressed like this.

[There's disgust in her voice as she looks down at her dress, and slowly trails her eyes back up and over to him.]

I was considering leaving early and looking around.

[This is an invitation, even though she can't bring herself to actually outright ask him to come along with her.]

[lightblindbadass]

[He chuckles a bit at the disgust in her voice about the dress, but doesn't proffer his hand to her, knowing that she would be wary about it. He also Nat 20 gets a Wisdom check to hear the hidden invitation in her words. He pushes off the archway slowly, jerking his head back behind him.]

There's a side-hallway this way. No one'll notice if we skip outta here early and explore a bit.

[befree]

[She grins, and moves to kick off her shoes so she'd be able to better move around. Heels are a pain in the ass.

She pushes the shoes to rest up against the wall and takes the lead, moving past him to head out of the room and take to the halls. She's excited to be out of there and away from all the people, and by the time she's twenty steps away from the party her hair has been unpinned and taken down, and her dress pinned up enough for her to freely move.]

I don't care what we see, as long as we eventually get to the rooftop.

[lightblindbadass]

[Riddick gives her time to get the heels off, then follows her lead out of the room. He laughs to himself as she makes the dress more comfortable, but doesn't blame her at all for it. He moves up to walk next to her. The halls were darker than normal, low lights every ten feet or so. He reaches up and removes his goggles completely, enjoying getting them off for a while.]

Sounds good to me. Why the roof, in particular?

[befree]

It's as close to freedom as I can get here.

[Not that they were prisoners in this place, they chose to be here, but Katniss didn't exactly see any other options in this new world she's found herself in.

But she misses the outdoors, and not the outdoors that the city provides. She longs to be in a forest somewhere, longs to climb trees and get dirty and go hunting.]

And the stars are better company than people in that room. Present company excluded.

[Yes, Katniss. Don't offend your new exploring buddy.]

[lightblindbadass]

[He looks over at her, intrigued how so much maturity can be mingled with so much of a little girl. He'd never seen it in progress before, but he could recall countless times when he himself had felt that way. Only, he'd never felt like a little girl. :\]

I share the sentiment. Don't know that I have much appreciation for stars in particular, but it's nice to get outta the belly of the building for a bit.

[They pass through the halls silently, passing many doors either closed or partially to fully open. His interest in these rooms was minimal since they were likely no more than other personal rooms. It was the different Sections that interested him.

Right at this moment though the thought of getting outside for air sounded even better.]

[befree]

[Without a contrary word from him, she takes it that it's okay to go right now, and moves ahead to quickly lead the way down the halls. With her feet bare, it's easy to run, and she easily breaks out into a sprint. She's excited to get fresh air, excited to hear what she can of the outdoors from the roof.

As she skids her way around a corner, she glances back over her shoulder at him. She's actually smiling at this point, a motion that feels weird on her face. But she keeps it there anyway.]

You don't mind a little running, do you?

[lightblindbadass]

[He allows her to take the lead, watching as she runs ahead like a child and he can't help but to feel the slightest swelling of protectiveness rising up in his chest. When she smiles back at him he can't keep a smirk from his lips as well. He easily keeps pace with her shorter stride, and when she asks if he minds running, instead of answering he takes off in a faster lope.]

Never mind a little running. Think you can keep up?

[befree]

I always like a challenge. You better not hold back, just because I'm in a dress.

[The grin remains intact, and she feels for the first time that she can remember like she's actually enjoying herself. It's a strange feeling, one that's entirely foreign and actually makes her feel guilty. But she tries to not let that guilt get to her, and just chases along after him, determined to at least keep up.]

[lightblindbadass]

[Oh, he is totally not holding back and with a Dex check of 18 he is going very fast indeed. He grins back at her as they whip around a corner, his longer legs carrying him to the stairs leading to the roof just before her.]

I'd never go easy on someone just because they're in a dress. That's sexist, and I'm nothing if not all for the survival of the fittest!

[wildmind]

[It's hard for telepaths to miss anybody, whether they're in the shadows or not. So Nessa makes a point of making her way over beside him, glass in hand]

They're not for everybody.

[lightblindbadass]

[He glances at her curiously, then smirks to himself. Guess he hadn't really been all that convincing in his "I'm here to party" attitude. Probably had something to do with the fact that he wasn't. But he was curious about the people.]

Definitely not for me, I'm finding out. [Not having any idea that she is a telepath, or what a telepath is he can't help but to size up her threat-ratio to himself. He hadn't really noticed her before now but she still seemed like a person who wouldn't really pose a threat to anyone.

Looking at her from a purely male stand-point really never registered with him until the last, and then it was only to take stock of her features and general measurements, just in case she proved him wrong.]

You like all this?

[wildmind]

It's not really my type of party. [She quirks a smile, glancing out over the stuffy looking crowd and elegance] I'm used to things being a little more about letting loose, I suppose you could say.

[lightblindbadass]

[He smirks at that, leaning against the door frame and crossing his arms. He didn't know anything about parties like that either, but it sounded a helluva more fun than this one.]

Maybe this place'll throw one of those sometime. Think I'd like to see that.

[wildmind]

Maybe they will. [She shrugs, smirking] No one will blame you if you sneak out, though.

[lightblindbadass]

[He shrugs away from the door, snatching two glasses of wine from a passing waiter. He hands one to Nessa, then clinks his glass against hers with a sharp ting, then proceeds to down most of his in one big gulp.]

S'not so bad when you have someone to talk to who doesn't look at you like you're about to kill them or something. Cheers to that. [He gives her a cheeky grin, swirling the rest of the wine in his cup with deft movements of his wrist.]

[wildmind]

[She looks a little surprised by the gesture, but toasts him back and takes a sip, looking amused]

Wynn tries to screen out the potential psychopaths.

[lightblindbadass]

The quiz he gives you when you first meet him hardly reminds me of a polygraph or anything like that. Could be he missed one or two in the ranks.

Promise I'm not one though. Least, not the way I see it. [He gives her another grin. He really doesn't know how to have appropriate conversations with people. He needs to work on his talking skillz.]

[wildmind]

I think he's sort of a walking polygraph, to be honest. He doesn't require a machine.

[lightblindbadass]

Yeah, I'd noticed there was something kinda weird about talking to him. I've heard people talk about magic here, which is fu- [He seems to change his mind about his choice of words, maybe to brush up on his talking skills, maybe because he was in polite company, not that he usually gave any fucks about that.] -weird. Maybe it's something like that?

[He shrugs uncomfortably at the thought of magic being real. That crap was fucked up.]

[wildmind]

Fucked up? [She sure doesn't seem shy about the word.] A little bit, when you're not used to it. But I think with Wynn it's more about just... who he is.

[lightblindbadass]

Guess some people can read others better than most. [He's totally thinking about himself right now with his uncanny ability to read people himself.]

So, what is it that you do for the Knights?