after-party ♔ april

[wynn]

♬ Jeux d'eau - Ravel

WHO || Wynn, any and all Knights not currently on missions (if you are uncertain if your character would be at the castle for this, ask!)
WHAT || Squiring Ceremony Afterparty
WHERE || Knights Headquarters, the Ballroom
WHEN || April 1st, 2014, 6:00PM [backdated]
HOW || Prose OR Actionspam

The "afterparty" is rumored to be the real main event of the night. A black-tie affair in the lavish, opulent ballroom, it is every new Knight's chance to mingle and meet some of their new brothers in arms. Of course, a couple hours are provided following the ceremony 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 you aren't shy. They're all here to meet you.

Feel free to make your own open threads for people to come congratulate your newly pledged knight.

ooc; also if your Knight wants to get all gussied up, you can make a Disguise (Cha) check for how good they were at hair/makeup/stylin', etc! This goes for... any time.

Comments

[nothingsodivine]

[He blinks, stopping midway from spearing some kind of quiche on his fork. He has the leaning tower of finger foods on this plate and it matters not a bit.]

I hadn't been back in awhile before a couple years ago. [Instead of putting the quiche on his plate, it goes directly into his mouth.] No offense, but you don't sound like you're from that far south.

[silvermaid]

[ she lifts her eyes to his to give him something of a sad smile, her gaze a little distant as she says: ] No, I imagine I don't. I did... live there, for a quarter of a century or so, however. [ it sounds as if she's picking her words carefully anyway.

with her 38 disguise check, she's the picture of elegant glamour, but the cut of her dress also means that he catches a glimpse of a small tattoo on her left shoulder... that looks a lot like a family crest. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des notices the tattoo and has to lay his plate down to keep from dropping it.]

You know, getting tattoos without knowing what they mean's an embarrassing habit to get into. [It's not exactly chastising- it's an excuse to get a better look at it, which is what he's doing.]

[silvermaid]

[ ♬ joyful girl - ani difranco

she turns her head to follow him, but doesn't budge, letting him take a close look. yep. that's the one. ] It's not a tattoo.

It's a brand.

[nothingsodivine]

I know. I was being a dick. [He rolls his eyes. Obviously you should be hip to his jive here, lady.] I've seen that a few times before.

[silvermaid]

[ she looks at him more closely, as if trying to figure out how to take that. ] There was a time when they were unfortunately much more prevalent.

[nothingsodivine]

Yeah, I know. I was there. Did some gunrunning in New Orleans before Butler took over. Mostly just an act to get people off my ass while I was sneaking slaves out. New Orleans might be home, but I'm not keen on slavery.

[He steps away, eyes still glued to the brand.] The Stuarts were the nastiest pieces of work I ever had to kiss up to, but they saw a snake for a snake when it was circling their damn henhouse.

[silvermaid]

[ she pales entirely when he names them directly. ] You... knew the Stuarts?

[nothingsodivine]

Knew 'em? Lady, I danced at their balls and busted the locks on their slaves' quarters when they weren't paying attention. Not to mention got hunted down like a dog a few times, after they figured me out. I even stood in the crowd when ol' Atticus got his.

[He probably did more than stand in the crowd, but this is polite company and most folks don't wanna know about that.]

[silvermaid]

[ her eyes widen again when he says the name 'atticus' and she looks dumbstruck for a moment, but then she shakes her head slightly and a grateful expression replaces her uncomfortable one, as she reaches out and puts a hand on his arm, squeezing it tightly. ] It's people like you who are the reason I'm here. Maybe even you yourself if -- [ she lets that go, glancing around as if she suddenly just remembered they're at a party ] It's hard to imagine the odds, your being here.

Would you like to get some air? I think... I could use some.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des stares at her for a moment, a little bit perplexed by her gratitude. He might be able to talk about it like it was just yesterday, but he knows it was far away enough that he can't fathom anyone thinking any of it being anything short of an awful story to be pushed aside.]

The odds of me being anywhere at any given time are improbable, at best. I'm atypical like that.

[He sucks in a breath and looks around.] Why the hell not?

[silvermaid]

[ she sets down her own plate and reaches out to take his arm like he's some kind of gentlemen. there's nothing flirtatious in the gesture, it's just really... old fashioned. she nods towards the doors that lead out to the balcony and they start making their way over there. ] I first went to Louisiana in February of 1966. Sometimes it seems so long ago, and sometimes...

[nothingsodivine]

Just yesterday? [It's kind of hilarious, considering this little stroll. It does hearken back to a different time. Of course back then he didn't scoff at suits.]

I went down in 1808, back when the slave market wasn't just Shadowkind. The war was a nice little wake-up call, and believe me, it was a kick in the teeth to hear they hadn't learned jackshit in a hundred years. It's one thing to do it to humans, I guess.

[silvermaid]

[ ♬ stability [*] - death cab for cutie ]

Evil ideals like that tend to set their roots deep. [ she slides back the doors, letting in the cool night air, and takes a step out. ] But I've seen my share of victories over it in my day. Things are headed in the right direction, so long as good people are willing to do what's necessary.

The ironic part is that my friend Rose and I were going down to Mardi Gras to finally shake ourselves out of the grief we'd been feeling over a very close friend's death, in a protest in Compton. I'd been so focused helping Rose and Kierce fight for their own rights, and in the end...

Well, Atticus targeted me.

[nothingsodivine]

I don't believe in karma. There's no balance in the world. Bad things'll happen to you, even if you're a saint. Hell, I've got plenty of proof that bad things happen more often to saints.

[He looks down at her.] So that's not surprising. I heard he was taking people off the streets and claiming he bought them legally. That was an old-fashioned cowardly tactic that should've died with the Confederacy.

[silvermaid]

[ she doesn't affected or put off by his cynicism, but she drops his arm and instead leans delicately against the railing, turning her head to look at him. ]

He made it sound like he was part of the rights movement. That's how he got me to admit what I was. We were just out at a bar, in the middle of the celebration. I hadn't--

Well, I hadn't really considered having a drink at a bar with an attractive man since someone very dear to my heart had passed away some seven years prior. I actually still wasn't very keen on considering it, but Rose... thought it would be good for me.

[nothingsodivine]

Opposite of good.

[Des sticks his tongue in his cheek and scowls.] He always was a rat bastard. He tried that on me a few times. I don't think he ever believed me right up until the end.

[He joins her at the railing, squinting up at the sky.] You didn't get out before they- we- brought him down, huh?

[silvermaid]

He didn't want me for himself.

I was a... birthday present. For his son. [ yeah she's just gonna

let that one sink in. ]

[nothingsodivine]

[Oh...

That is...

Oh...]

Not the "tend to the house, stay out of sight" kind of birthday present, I take it.

[silvermaid]

That wasn't the intention, no.

"Luckily", for me, his son - Hugo - didn't appreciate the gesture. The thought of laying hands on Shadowkind in such a way was disgusting to him. He wouldn't let me touch him, and I was never so happy to comply with orders in my life.

Instead they kept me to do just that - tend the house, stay out of sight - but he was a very violent man, and he hated anything non-human with a passion that he took out on those of us he kept around the estate.

But as I said, he never laid a finger on me in any other way. Although when he finally married, his wife wouldn't believe it. She was certain he was having an affair, and she tried everything she could to get him to send me away. When that didn't work, she tried to set me up to be arrested... killed... whatever she could think of. Their youngest child, Lily, she was the only one in the family who felt sorry for me, and she had a tendency to warn me in time to avoid whatever Esme had cooked up next. [ she gives another wan smile his way ] But eventually, one gets to wake up from any nightmare.

So you can see why I'm grateful, that you had a hand in bringing that evil family to justice.

[nothingsodivine]

[Des tears his eyes away from her, a bit overwhelmed. Not every day you get to hear a dame's sad life story and what would normally make a man feel like a hero just makes Des feel a hell of a lot of guilt. If he didn't have a deep-rooted phobia of enslavement, he wouldn't have tried so hard or been that vicious. He wouldn't have done much of anything at all.

Heroism's all in the why you do something. Anyone who thinks otherwise is deluding themselves.]

Like I said, I don't have much patience for anyone who thinks slavery's a good way of conducting business. I take it personally.

[silvermaid]

Something happened to you? Or someone you cared for? [ there's not really a third option granted in her tone. ]

[nothingsodivine]

A few different times. [He can't remember them, but he knows it happened. He still has nightmares about it.] I don't remember a whole lot about it, but I know that feeling. That I'm never gonna forget.

[He grips the railing.] Nothing of you belongs to you. You belong to someone else and they can do whatever they want and you just take it, because there's no other option. I was always too stubborn to buy that. I never broke. I fought. And even after it stopped and I went on and forgot the details, all I could ever think was how badly I never wanted to feel like something owned me and might wreck me if I gave it half a chance. I couldn't bow to anyone- wouldn't bow to anyone. If I thought it might leash me, I ran from it, as far and as fast as I could go. Nothing scares me more than that.

[silvermaid]

[ she looks out over the garden and tranquil waters of the pond behind the castle, but there are tears in the corners of her eyes as she nods. ]

I know all about running. Believe me. Sometimes ... I truly never thought I'd stop.

It's... more than just a result of what I've been through. For me, it's also in my blood. That wanderlust.

That need to be free.

[nothingsodivine]

That's why I never joined up here. I don't care what Wynn says about freelancing or not doing the whole squire thing. There's a loyalty to it. It's binding. Maybe it's not a big fancy, gilded cage like I wanna believe it is, but I'd never be able to stomach it. I don't belong.