CLOSED ♔ knighting ceremony

[eldritchweaver]

WHO || Wynn, Emma, Gold, Faye, Hasmed,  Lila, Hook, Thoster, Kat, Ella,  Tia, Alainn, Nessa, Zero, Zatanna, various other unnamed members of the Dragon's Fire [closed]
WHAT || Emma's full Knighting ceremony; induction into the Dragon's Fire
WHERE || Knight's Headquarters, the Great Hall
WHEN || April 30th, 2014 evening [Super backdated]
HOW || Actionspam

Unlike the grandiose nature of the squiring ceremony each Knight undergoes upon their initial entrance into the Knighthood, the graduation to Full Knight status takes place in a much more intimate affair, between the Knight, their mentor, invited friends, and the members of the sect to which they will be inducted. There's no pompous music, no stolid rank and file, no elaborate march.

Emma's invitees are given seats of honor at the front of the ranks of the Dragon's Fire members and Gold, Wynn, and Hasmed wait up at the front of the room for Emma to approach them, but the attitude of the ceremony is much more relaxed, full of smiles and light conversation on all sides from the other sect members.

Wynn finally gets things rolling, by saying in his loud listen-to-me voice: "Approach and kneel, Sir Emma Swan."

Comments

[unhand]

Still, I can at least endeavor to improve it a little. [He gives her a smile and holds out a hand (diplomacy 23).] Care to dance, Swan?

[uncurse]

With you? [ she arches her eyebrows, but any indication she'll rebuff him is a farce, because she reaches out to take his hand on account of narrowly avoiding crit failing her will save. ] Yeah. [ she sets her champagne aside and moves with him away from the bar. ]

[unhand]

[He's improved a lot since his last dance (perform 19) and he smiles at her as he pulls her into a waltz.]

[uncurse]

[ they're not about to win dancing with the stars, but she can follow his lead well enough. there's surprise flickering across her expression as they begin, though (perform: dance 14). ]

Not exactly what I thought you had in mind when you said dancing. Where'd you learn to do this?

[unhand]

Our land. I may not be a prince, but I've been to some parties. [He smiles at her as he twirls her.] And I must say, you are a natural.

[uncurse]

[ she laughs at the compliment. ]

That's generous.

[ despite her dismissal, she follows his cues breezily. ]

[unhand]

It is your first time. I can afford some generosity. [And she really isn't half bad. He pulls her back into his arms as they step in time to the music.]

[uncurse]

[ she remains close to him, one arm settled on his shoulder, the other hand closed around his, and she tries to quiet a smile by dropping her gaze some. ]

You know, I've been thinking.

[unhand]

Thinking, hmm? [He dips his head in, eyes crinkling fondly.] What about?

[uncurse]

Amara.

[ she looks back up at him, tilting her head. ]

Maybe we're going about this the wrong direction. What if instead of breaking the curse, we tried ... a different one. Like a counter-curse, one that would just interfere or contradict the curse of the Magi.

[unhand]

[...he'd been hoping for more along the lines of her thinking about how much she wanted to rip his clothes off, but this could be good too. He doesn't miss a step as he considers it.]

Another love curse? Or something else?

[uncurse]

Maybe. Or maybe a loss of it. When Regina cursed everyone to Storybrooke, she split Mary Margaret and David apart. That's exactly what the Veil did to all of us all over again. A memory curse.

[unhand]

Take away her memories. [He tilts his head, considering it.] She'd never forgive us if she found out. No matter how they originated, her feelings are real to her.

[uncurse]

But they won't feel real to someone who doesn't remember having them. [ also you know they could ... erase all of her memories and maybe that would erase the curse in the first place. it is, after all, mind control—if they purge it from her mind, shouldn't that undo it? responsible decisions with emma swan. ]

[unhand]

Perhaps. But tampering with someone's mind... that's dark magic. [He frowns.] There has to be something a bit more subtle. Perhaps some sort of anti-love curse? A hate spell? [Is that even a thing?]

[uncurse]

You want to turn the most powerful sorceress we know on David? [ her eyebrows arch judgmentally. like that's supposed to be better ??? ] What do you think she'll do to him?

[unhand]

Start by not tearing his clothes off, perhaps. [He shrugs a shoulder helplessly. The song ends, but he doesn't drop her hands. They're talking about work. It's ok if they keep dancing.] Removing her memories is just as liable to go wrong. What if without memories of him to fill in, she decides attacking us is her best way to get home?

[uncurse]

Then we have a castle full of knights to stop her. I'm comfortable with those odds. A full-stop fight against someone trying to get out is a lot easier than protecting anyone from her.

[ she stays close to him, not observing the break of the song. ]

[unhand]

[Then he's more than happy to continue the dance into the next song.]

Would you know how to do such a spell?

[uncurse]

No. But someone in this sect has to.

[unhand]

Worth looking into, I suppose. That way we could at least have the possibility open to us, should we find it necessary.

[uncurse]

I don't think we're in any position to be choosy about what is or isn't necessary.

[unhand]

Are you doing this to get your father back or to help Amara?

[uncurse]

Since when are you in a position to be critical of anyone's motives? [ she looks affronted. she is affronted. admittedly, hook's alliance with them, in his mind, was longer tinged with desperation to kill the dark one—back in the enchanted forest, that is—but emma hasn't forgotten it. more presently, though ... ] Are you helping because there are two people's lives on the line or to get into my pants?

[unhand]

I wasn't being critical. [He spins her so her back is against him, his arms wrapped around her.] If your only wish is to bring your father back in the most expedient manner, I'll back your play. Help you in any way I can.

[He spins her back out, into the basic waltz position.]

But perhaps, love, your reaction just now proves that if you were to take this path, you ought to think hard about your own motives, lest you prove to be the critical one. [Diplomacy 32.]