knightsoflegend | after-party ♔ april

♬ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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.

[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.]

[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.

[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.

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.

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

[He seriously considers shutting her down, but he gives in with a sigh.] There's a reason why I'm cursed and there's a reason why it's carried on this long, and, more importantly, there's nothing I wouldn't do to get it broken. That's not something I wanna get other people caught up in.

Has it occurred to you that the resources available here could assist with breaking the curse? If you haven't noticed, we're in the business of helping people.

[Her tone is gentle with a touch of humor.]

Because that's not how you break a curse. [And also who the hell is gonna break a curse that just ends in assisted suicide anyway.] I've spent years looking into this. All my life, even. This place doesn't know anything I haven't tried myself a hundred times.

In my experience, curses are meant to give some hard earned lesson. It's not always a lesson that's needed, of course, but the person enacting the curse hardly cares about that. However, the point remains that perhaps by remaining solitary, by carrying on as you always have, you're only further condemning yourself.

[Des takes a long swig of the scotch and places it down on a table with such finality that it seems like he plans to get up and walk. But his hand lingers on the bottle and he remains where he is, lost in thought.]

Maybe I am condemning myself. Doesn't change the fact that the path I'm on now ain't the path most people would follow.

[She's quiet for some time, studying him, in part, but mostly giving him time to leave, if he wishes. But then he speaks again and there's a tension that releases from her shoulders.]

People will surprise you, if you give them the chance. I know it must be hard- having seen so much, and it's easier to remember the worst of it, isn't it? But there is good in the world, and you do deserve it, regardless of what you may think.

You decided one day you were gonna inject yourself with some mystery substance because you thought it was a good idea at the time. Now I don't know what happened after, but I assume not everyone found that kind of stupidity innovative or worth the risk.

You still did it. You still probably felt like no one understood why you did it or how you lived with it afterwards. But I bet it stung like hell when people you knew and loved couldn't even look you in the eye anymore.

[Pushing away from the counter, Helen moves a chair to sit across from him. She sighs and tries to collect her thoughts.]

I won't try to understand exactly what you've experienced. What happened to me, no matter how surprising, was a choice I made with full knowledge that whatever consequences came would be mine to face.

But it was difficult. You're right about that. In the end, what kept me going was knowing that I had the opportunity to continue my father's work in a way never before possible. And I did that with the help of those close to me, even knowing that I would outlive them, even knowing that in the end, I would be alone.

You're thinking about living. All I ever think about is dying. And I don't really care about the details of how it happens, but I do know that I'd rather have as few people disappointed in me as possible at the end. Like I said, I'd do just about anything to break my curse. And I do mean anything. That kind of thinking doesn't keep friends.

[he stands] Thanks for the drink.

[She stands as well, not to stop him, but just because it's polite.

#British

She doesn't know him well enough to try to convince him of anything other than what he believes, and truthfully, she doubts she ever would want to. She can't imagine how she might feel about the world if she were to live as long as he has.]

Take the bottle. Consider it a welcome gift. And... I'm sorry if I've overstepped my bounds with our conversation tonight.

[♫Close Every Door- Phillip Schofield

He picks up the bottle and smiles.]

Nah. I think I needed it. [He gives her a mock salute with the bottle.] See you around, Peaches.

I certainly hope so. [She gives him a tighter smile, partly doubtful if he'll bother speaking to her at all after she barged into his business like she has.]

Enjoy the rest of your evening, Mr. Descant.

after-party ♔ april

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