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

[befree]

Katniss Everdeen.

[Sobs. She fails so much at doing this, okay. She picks up on the awkward smile and...considers returning the gesture, but just eases up on the blank look of indifference a little instead.]

If you like the dress, you can have it.

[rationalizes]

[She seems to think that's a joke and laughs] Oh I doubt it would look quite so good on me.

[befree]

I'm too small to make it fit properly. I'm sure it would look much better on you.

[She says this as if it is entirely insane to even think that she looks decent in something so delicate and feminine, and shakes her head.]

I'd probably only keep it to re-use it the next time we're forced to attend something like this. So if you wanted it ...

[Oh gosh, how do you fail being nice. She's too awkward to be nice to others. She makes a mental note to never try again.]

[rationalizes]

Well, for one, no one will force you into attending another party if you'd prefer not to. They're entirely optional, though most of us like to come to at least get a chance to meet the new squires we'll be working with.

[befree]

It helps to size up the competition.

[She nods, thinking that's the only worthwhile reason to meet new squires.]

[rationalizes]

Well competition is... hardly the right word for it. [Her smile falters an itty bit, but she tries to keep it up] We're all here to work together.

[befree]

You can't expect everyone to work together all of the time. [People always eventually betray one another. Even family.]

[rationalizes]

Of course not. But we intend to try anyway.

[befree]

[What...an idealistic way to look at things. It baffles her, and she nods dumbly, as if she thinks that's almost a great idea.]

Trying never has hurt anything.

[Yeah. This is as close to optimism as she gets. Sorry.

She awkwardly shuffles her feet and wrings her hands together, looking even more out of place now.]

I just have to learn how to get along with everyone here. I'm not very good at making friends.

[rationalizes]

Oh, I'm certain you'll make plenty in time! You can't risk life and limb together and not come out a little closer to your teammates. You'll see.