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

[nosdacaraid]

[It's not just that he seems awkward - he actually seems to know exactly where to step without thinking about it, as if he were born to do this, but there's something in his expression that seems to just check out, and he avoids her eye contact except for a few brief moments. He seems to gulp unnecessarily as his eyes cast around the room, as if he's not sure who's watching, and he looks very, very serious, as if he's concerned that taking a wrong step will lead to the world imploding or something. He doesn't say a word as he leads her around.]

[aproperdoctor]

[GOD MARK ARE YOU GAY OR SOMETHING, JEEZ. Not that Martha is actually thinking this, but she does notice that he's all...weird when he dances with her. This is not how guys usually act, even the nervous ones. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but now Martha is beginning to regret her decision. She's definitely going to need another glass of champagne before she dances with Mark's friend.

So when the song is over, she leans up and kisses him on the cheek, just to be polite.] Thanks, that was lovely.

[And with that, she slips away to find the nearest nice waiter with a tray and picks up a glass before making her way over to Fred, sipping her drink as she flashes him a smile.] Hello there.

1/2

[nosdacaraid]

[He stiffens at the kiss on the cheek, his mouth falling open slightly, and he seems to freeze in place entirely as she moves to walk away. But after a moment, he shouts after her a weak:]

You're wel... come...

[nepotism]

[Fred's watching her approach with a smirk on his face, glancing over towards where Mark is wandering off through the crowd. He gives her a much more friendly smile.]

So how'd that go?

[aproperdoctor]

[Martha's voice is a little dry when she speaks to Fred.] If you know Mark, I imagine you can guess exactly how it went.

[nepotism]

[He seems much more amused than surprised] ... That bad, huh?

[His eyes scan the crowd to try to find the guy, but he's apparently managed a quick vanishing act. He chuckles and looks back to her] Just don't take it personally. Guy freezes up in the weirdest situations. I'm always trying to get him to relax, so I appreciate you playing along.

[aproperdoctor]

[Martha looks clearly unimpressed by this claim.] Oh, yeah, good job. You should've just asked me to dance yourself.

[nepotism]

It's good for him.

[He nods his head at the dance floor] So what do you say?