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

[daredtobelieve]

[Its more than obvious that its not a story he would feel like sharing. So she'll start with her own tale and see if that makes him any more comfortable.]

I studied at Oxford as a girl. It was long before they actually let women attend, mind you. I was eager to prove myself, so I made it my business to continue my father's work, delving into genetic abnormalities, specifically those that manifested in abilities- though we did also have a great interest in locating entirely new species as well.

[Realizing that she's getting off topic, she gives an embarrassed smile.]

We came upon a sample of blood from an ancient powerful race, long dead. From that sample we derived a serum and a very risky experiment produced extraordinary results. That was some 200 years ago, give or take.

[nothingsodivine]

You did it to yourself.

[quietly. a bit measured.]

[daredtobelieve]

We had no way of knowing what would happen. Each of the five of us developed a gift, presumably something latent in our genetic make up. It took some time for mine to become clear, as the simple act of carrying on isn't all that obvious at first.

[nothingsodivine]

So you just don't... age.

[he sounds somewhat relieved by that.]

[daredtobelieve]

[well that's an interesting reaction]

Sounds less impressive when you put it like that.

[a tiny smile remains]

[nothingsodivine]

Well, it could be a lot worse.

[he digs in the pocket of his jacket and produces a pocketknife. He glances around as if he's making sure no one's paying attention and then presses the blade into his open palm.] Wait for it. Annnnd... [he flashes her the palm a few seconds later, stained with fresh blood, but otherwise completely healed.] You don't age? I can't die.

[daredtobelieve]

[To her credit, Helen doesn't gasp or react strongly at all. She peers at his hand, eyes moving from there to his face, searching.]

I gather from your reaction to my story that this was something inflicted on you. My god, how long have you carried on like this?

[nothingsodivine]

[The good news about not wearing formalwear is you can wipe off the blood on the inside of your shirt and no one cares.]

Longer than a few centuries. Believe me, I can't imagine anyone choosing this.

[daredtobelieve]

Not unless they had no idea what they were asking for. [Even with her much shorter time alive, Helen knows the burden that comes with indefinitely extending your life. She finds that her experiences help people feel as thought they can talk to her, so she remains more open about her life. It's unnerving to some, but it's how she operates best, while helping others.]

I buried my daughter. It was before the Veil, but... People don't think about what a life like this really means. Living forever only carries you so far when you have no one to share it with, when you can't help but constantly see the clock counting down for everyone but you.

[nothingsodivine]

The Shadowkind'll laugh at you if you say that. [He smirks without looking up.] Not that they know what it's like. And if you get my age, you're less of an anomaly and more of a freak, as far as they're concerned. No one likes being called a kid by a human.

[daredtobelieve]

Most of them know better than to laugh at me. I know them well enough by name, species, and culture to know how to speak to them. But you and I aren't the same as their lot. And it's only within the last few decades that I knew anything about Shadowkind at all.

There is a difference in being born into an extended lifespan. You know what to expect. It becomes your norm. I only came through the Veil a few decades past. Before that, I spent more than a century living in a very human world.

[nothingsodivine]

I've only lived in this one.

[He doesn't know which of them that sucks more for- the fish out of water or the guy who has seen it all and still can't get his head around it.]

But I don't remember what it's like to not be this way.

[daredtobelieve]

[Suddenly, Helen is very aware of the fact that they're discussing this on the dance floor.]

Would you like to go somewhere? To talk?

[nothingsodivine]

Guess I'm doing a lot of that tonight. [Talking. He shoves his hands into his pockets.] Lead the way.

[daredtobelieve]

[She can guess that maybe he doesn't do much of it normally? Or at least not the sort of talking that's not just quips and flirtatious banter. He's got those just fine, from what she's seen.

Helen takes him the Dragon's Hoard wing, to the corner of the lab that she calls home. There are a few chairs, but it's all very clean and clinical.]

Can I interest you in any tea? [Yeah she keeps a kettle down here. Fight her.]

[nothingsodivine]

You got anything stronger? [You British and your tea.]

[daredtobelieve]

[She looks around, as if trying to remember where to find something.]

Aha! [Digging in a back cabinet, she finds a bottle of scotch. When Helen drinks, she is not at all dainty about it.]

Will this do? Just try to keep quiet about it. Keeping this in the lab likely wouldn't earn me any brownie points.

[nothingsodivine]

You care about brownie points?

[He drops into the nearest seat and unscrews the cap on the bottle. Des has no propriety and rather than rifle about for some glasses, he just... swigs from it. He'll buy you another one. He's having an emotional night.]

[daredtobelieve]

Not really but one must keep up appearances.

[she doesn't seem bothered by him drinking straight from the bottle. It's some good shit though.]

I have to admit, I'm terribly curious about what it is that did this to you.

[nothingsodivine]

It was a she.

[He stares at the bottle to see what the hell this is, because yes, it's good shit. He'll buy two.]

Divine being who thought a suicidal bastard had a little more he could offer the world.

[daredtobelieve]

[Whatever answer she was expecting, that wasn't it. Helen knows that there are gods here, beings with enormous power on the full range of the moral spectrum. She's just never dealt with one directly.]

So when you tried to end your life, she made it impossible for you to do so. That's... [She trails off, not sure how to describe it. Terrible seems to sum it up, but even then, it seems to fall short. Helen leans against a nearby counter.]

Just how old are you, really? [More than a few centuries, he said previously. Somehow, she thinks it's more than that.]

[nothingsodivine]

[Des takes another swig and says a sentence or two in a language that's been dead for a few thousand years, though a wisdom check of 16+ can catch that it has some in common with modern day Welsh. Despite Des's southern twang when he speaks English, he speaks this like a native. He can forget a lot of things, but he spent years with this as the only language he knew.]

That language died out in the sixth century. [He shrugs.] Before that.

[daredtobelieve]

[Her wis check of 17 squeaks by with minor recognition, eyebrows going up as the phrasing and intonation catches her ear.]

Remarkable. [She refrains from asking him to teach her the language. For now.]

I can see why you refuse Wynn like you do. Once you've managed on your own as long as that, it must seem easier to continue.

[nothingsodivine]

If you ask him or anyone else, when people manage on their own as long as I have, they ought to learn to be a part of something, eventually. [He raises his eyebrows.] I've got a lot of reasons for telling him no.

[daredtobelieve]

Such as? [Look they're sharing. Maybe he won't shut her down.]