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

[slays]

[ She manages to successfully keep from botching the spin, a sharp breath getting drawn in as he moves behind her, which becomes strangled when she feels his breath on her neck. She takes everything back. That closeness before was nothing.

It's not him at her back that makes her gulp, it's the fact that she's watching everyone else in the room instead of just being able to just focus on him, and she's suddenly very self-aware of her own lack of grace (despite Val'drin's reassurances) and of how close he is simply because well look at all the people. But, Buffy distracts herself by turning her head a little to glance back at him, a breathless smile on her lips. ]

Liar. [ But, she doesn't mind the lie. As lies go, it's a good lie to ... uh. Lie. And she really needs to stop over-thinking. So, she does. Her hips sway with his, shoulders rolling with the music as she leans back to press closer to him. ]

[valdrin]

Drow. [He says it as if this were a self-explanatory reason for anyone to be a liar. Really, what do you expect out of him. /makes racist jokes at his own expense]

[slay]

Oh, so you're all this shifty and mysterious. [ She smiles, loosening up some. ] And here I thought you were just special.

[valdrin]

[He cranes his neck so that he can look her in the face] Shifty? I think I'm offended.

[slays]

[ She smiles up at him, bright and teasing in its own way, and then turns to face him, sliding her arms up around his neck, and pursing her lips thoughtfully, canting her head to the side as she shrugs. ]

Well, you know. It's just with the lying. And, you know plenty about me, but I don't know all that much about you. [ She fixes him with a not-quite-prying, but definitely interested look that invites him to amend this. ]

[cabot]

Well, to be entirely fair, it isn't as if you'd asked. [He's teasing as well, and he settles his arm comfortably around her once more]

What were you dying to know?

[slays]

I didn't exactly have anything specific in mind. [ She wrinkles her nose a little, considering this, hunching her shoulders in an extended shrug. ] I don't know. When did you get here? What do you spend your castle-bound time doing when you're not partying it up at the squiring ceremonies? Hobbies or something.

[cabot]

Ah, yes. [He looks over her shoulder, thoughtfully, as if focusing on a distant point in time, though not taking it very seriously] I arrived in this world at the turn of the century in Italy... [His eyes dart back towards her.] Turn of... last century, that is.

[slay]

[ There's a slight look of awe as she tries to imagine that -- but, let's face it, a hundred plus years is more than most people can imagine living for. That, on top of Italy, which is, well, Italy. She swallows back her dumbfounded look. ]

Do you ever get tired of it?

[valdrin]

Of which bit? [He raises a brow, obviously uncertain] This world? The Knights? These endless shindigs?

I presume the answer would be 'occasionally' to any of the above. But then there's always something new that manages to come along and make the old things interesting again. [And with that he'll give her another casual spin]

[slays]

[ The placated smile indicates she was going for a kind of 'all of the above' answer. The thoroughness is appreciated. She spins out easily, following the steps like a pro and looking graceful as hell while doing it nat 20, then steps back in closer. ] Old things like dancing?

[valdrin]

[He's quite impressed really, and pulls her taut against him, eyes raking across her expression as a slow smile lights up his face.] ... Yes. Dancing. [The way he emphasizes the word is telling.] Among other things.

[slay]

[ There's that awed look returning. WIth some swooning friends. But she manages to respond in a timely fashion despite it. ] Other things like what?

[cabot]

[He'll take his time seeming to consider] Well, for one, I've found myself actually looking forward to having another soiree so soon. But there are other things as well.

[Somewhat cheekily:] Moonlight walks, perhaps.

[slays]

Well, it's probably somewhere close to freezing right about now, but I hear the garden's nice this time of always. [ Her shoulder lifts in a slight shrug. ] So, if you hypothetically wanted to ask someone to join you on one of these moonlight walks, perhaps ... I don't she'd be able to say no.

[valdrin]

Is that so? [He smirks a little bit, whirling her around and looking thoughtful] Not afraid of a little hypothetical cold, then?

[slay]

I'd be willing to brave it. [ She spins under his arm, then rests her hand back on his shoulder, smiling. ] For the right person.

[valdrin]

Good to know.

Hypothetically. [He cuts her a grin, and then leans to whisper in her ear:] Shall we?

[slay]

[ The hair on the back of her neck prickles at the closeness and takes a moment to bask. ]

You don't think they'll get mad if they notice we're gone?

[valdrin]

I doubt Wynn will set the truancy officer on us.

[slays]

... They have a one of those?

[valdrin]

... I think he has the night off.

[slay]

Good enough for me. [ She stops dancing immediately, then tugs his hands. ] Come on.

1/2

[cabot]

Of course. [Grinning, he moves with her towards the big glass doors that lead to the balcony and back steps of the castle. The air is definitely biting outside, but he doesn't seem to mind, keeping one hand slipped into hers, the other in his pocket]

[everyredcent]

[AND OH LOOK OUT HERE ON THE BALCONY. IT'S THE TRUANCY OFFICER CHRISTOS, not dressed for a party tonight, but instead wearing a heavy black cloak and black boots. He's leaning against the railing smoking a clove when the doors open, and he turns his head at the sound of merriment issuing forth from the ballroom.

When he sees them, his eyes dart between Val'drin's expression, their joined hands, and the look on Buffy's face, and subsequently narrow ever so slightly. He speaks up from where he stands, his question direct and bluntly intrusive:]

Going somewhere?