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

[socialgraces]

Uh huh. [She mutters with a disbelieving look.] What's he like? You're squire, I mean? [And she's just honestly curious. Comparing squires in a common past-time in the Knighthood.]

[postergirl]

[shiiiiit] Well, he has this sort of... scruffy headed charm of his own, I suppose.

[socialgraces]

[She smirks] Perhaps we'll have to set up a play-date. Then you can meet my squire as well.

[postergirl]

Oh, we've already met. [Yep. Take that how you will, because it's probably... how she wants you to take it.]

[socialgraces]

[Raised eyebrows of incredulity.] Well, you certainly do get around. That was fast, even for you.

[Joking aside:] When did you meet? And more importantly, what did you think?

[postergirl]

Relax. We only danced.

He's certainly an interesting fellow.

[socialgraces]

Do you mean amusing or intriguing? Or just strange? [She really just wants to know her opinion... which should be obvious from her nagging.]

[postergirl]

I wouldn't go with strange. He just had an awful lot of questions for me, about Wynn in particular.

[socialgraces]

I noticed that too. But I figured his blunt suspicion was probably a good sign that he's not much of threat. It more came across to me that he was quite distrusting of institutions in general.

I guess I should find it comforting he has a mind of his own. It would be awfully boring to have to spend a lot of time with an oblivious yes-man.

[Her gaze inadvertently wanders in his direction as she speaks.]

[postergirl]

Of course, it might mean he could be trouble too. Not going to tow the company line, that sort of thing.

[socialgraces]

Well, hopefully he joined for a reason and is willing to put aside some of his ill feelings for said reason. I suppose I'll just have to see what he does in the next week or two.

[postergirl]

Do you know yet whether he's a Shadow exile or a local? He's obviously spent considerable time in this world already, if he's the former.

[socialgraces]

I'm not sure. Christos mentioned he look like he had some Elf blood, which seems obvious to me now.

I agree though, if he isn't a native to this plane, he's been here for quite some time. Long enough to have retired from the Royal Air Force.

[postergirl]

Maybe they discharged him for distracting the female pilots.

[socialgraces]

[She rolls her eyes.] He's not that attractive. [She actually doesn't find him attractive at all. Luckily. That would be awkward.]

Anyway, he doesn't seem too willing to share much about himself.

[postergirl]

So you think he's hiding something?

[socialgraces]

Well, I know he's hiding something by pointedly avoiding polite questions. I just don't know if it's actually of any interest to me. Or anyone else. So I hardly find it worth the effort to pry at this point. He can prove whether he's interesting, or not, when we actually start field work.

[postergirl]

[Dumage's lip juts out in a pout] Must you say those words when I'm enjoying myself?

[socialgraces]

Well, now you have a squire you can coerce into doing all the actual work. Character building and such.

[postergirl]

Now why didn't I think of that?

[socialgraces]

[She smirks, tipping her glass in Dumage's direction before taking a sip.]

Now you have a reason to keep him around.

[postergirl]

When I need something done, at least.

[socialgraces]

[She shrugs.] Perhaps he'll prove more useful than you anticipate.

[postergirl]

How do you mean?

[socialgraces]

Well, you never know. [She takes another drink.] Has he told you anything about himself?