after-party ♔ june

[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 || June 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

[killingtodeath]

[Yep. That seems about right. He catches up to her pace easier, thanks to a longer stride. He knows better than to try to say a damn thing until they're out of the building. Even then, he's... cautious.]

This place is massive.

[immuno]

It's a castle. That's ... definitely part of the architectural requirement.

[ she steps out onto the patio that overlooks the gardens, hunching her shoulders and releasing his hand so she can move to the railing. ]

[killingtodeath]

[Stepping up beside her, he awkwardly hesitates with his hand raised to place it against her back, hoping to comfort her. He debates with himself whether it would be a good idea and finally chickens out with a sigh, gripping the railing tightly with both hands, instantly frustrated with himself.]

Yeah. Guess so.

[immuno]

[ sebastian croaks in the background

or whatever noise crabs make.

Regardless, Lydia doesn't seem to notice the awkwardness, because she's just focusing on the clean, brisk summer air and how it's not overheated from lights and bodies in the party. Finally, she looks over at him, realizing he was the one having a near panic-attack. She sizes him up a minute before settling on just being concise and direct. ]

Are you okay?

[killingtodeath]

...Huh? [In that brief moment, he managed to get lost in his own thoughts. Thankfully, they're not panic attack inducing thoughts for now.] Oh. Yeah, I'm... I think so. You?

[immuno]

[ She's not sure, truthfully. Rather than admit that aloud, she fixes him with an uncertain gaze, shrugging her shoulder lightly. With a tiny shake of her head, she looks back out at the gardens, lips pursed and eyes fixed on some distant spot that shifts them out of focus. ]

[killingtodeath]

[Watching her carefully, Stiles wonders how he can feel so comfortable and uncomfortable all at once. He shifts so that he can lean his forearms against the railing, bent at nearly a 90 degree angle and looking up at the night sky.]

It's okay. If you're.. you know, not.

[immuno]

Allison was my best friend.

[ Lydia shakes her head, searching the gardens blindly, as if she might just come out of them. ]

I'm never gonna see her again. I could ... I could handle that if I just knew she was okay, but she's not. She already lost her mom, if her dad dies too ... [ Her hands clench the railing tighter and she drops her head. ] I should be there.

[killingtodeath]

Is. [He says quietly beside her.] She is your best friend, Lydia. This doesn't change that.

[immuno]

I'm never gonna see her again. How can you say that nothing's changed?

[killingtodeath]

You don't know that. She could show up tomorrow. The veil could take us back. I don't know but even if you can never see her again, that doesn't make her matter any less. The people that matter aren't out of sight, out of mind. I know you know that.

[immuno]

[ Of course he knows. He always knows. Without fail, he sees straight through her carefully painted veneer. Lydia turns her face away stubbornly, swallowing down the look of distress. ]

It doesn’t work like that.

[ The Veil has been around for hundreds of years — probably more — and as far as any records indicate, no one has ever gone back through. A couple of teenagers won’t suddenly be the exception. It’s easier to couch her frustrations in logical fallacies than in the fact that it burns her to know she’s not going to see Allison ever again. ]

And I didn’t say it would make her matter less, but we can’t very well paint each others’ nails and study French together when she’s in another dimension. She’ll make new friends.

[killingtodeath]

She will. And you will too. But she's not going to forget about you. There's no way she could. [One does not simply forget Lydia Martin okay??]

I don't know how the Veil works and how it doesn't. You know what I do know? That the people working on it can't touch you. Because no one's smarter or more capable. No one else is you.

[immuno]

[ She meets his gaze quite suddenly, something shaky and vulnerable in her eyes. Her will save is like 7 so there's no pretending that it doesn't mean the world to her, or that she's not distraught by the loss of Allison Argent.

It takes her a moment to really be able to swallow that look. She's speechless in the face of his support, and she drops her gaze, processing it with a surprisingly gentleness for Lydia Martin. She tugs her lower lip between her teeth, dragging it out and pressing her tongue between her lips. Looking back up at him, there's a glowing moment of appreciation and she nods. ]

I'll work on it.

[killingtodeath]

Good. Just... let me know if you need anything, alright? [Their relationship is complicated. Friendship twisted up by his crush which seems to fade and intensify all at once. They're growing into the people they'll actually become, which includes Stiles learning to appreciate Lydia as an entire person, not just the perfect girl that he had wanted since they were kids. Somehow by giving up on the idea of getting Lydia to notice him, she finally managed to see him sometimes.] I'm not going anywhere.

[immuno]

[ She nods, pressing her lips together and turning her head away finally to look back out at the gardens. It takes her a minute, but she moves past the ~moment.~ Wrestling her stupid emotions down, she soldiers on. ]

Really? Because I’m kind of thinking of going back inside.

[killingtodeath]

That's not what I- [He gives a little sigh and shakes his head.] Yeah, we can go back inside if you want.

[immuno]

[ The last one of these they went to was together.

She sizes him up a moment, reflecting on it. Then again, the last time she was at a dance, she got mauled by an alpha werewolf, so she’s not looking to repeat the experience. ]

I wonder if these lose their novelty when they’re every month.

[ Turning on her heels, she heads back inside. ]

[killingtodeath]

Probably. [He responds, not following right away, looking out at the garden for an extra second instead, like it's got some answer that he's not even really looking for. Shaking his head to clear his mind, he turns and heads after her, half-jogging to catch up quickly.]

So about that dance? [Nothing says Stydia like ignoring any deep conversations and going right back to normal teenage interactions.]

[immuno]

[ oh, come on. fixing him with a disapproving stare, she holds the door to the ballroom open. ]

Okay, seriously?

[killingtodeath]

It can't hurt anything? It'll get your mind off things. [diplomacy 26. c'mon. c'mooooooon.]

[immuno]

So would recreational drug use, and yet ... that's not quite enough to make it tempting.

[ Despite her smug dismissal, she immediately links her arm with his and begins to drag him towards the dance floor because her crit failed will save means that she's not even considering playing hard to get any further rn. ]

[killingtodeath]

[immuno]

[ The song is meant for a waltz, but Lydia treats it like any slow song. Her arms wrap around Stiles' shoulders and she doesn't really bother leaving room for Jesus. Although she's better than your average bear, she doesn't put any exceptional effort into pulling out the moves here. Classical training or not, she's simply not in the mood for showing off (dance 14). ]

[killingtodeath]

[Know who saved his best moves to try to impress her????

This guy. Perform dance 21. Awh yeah.]

I'm glad you're here. All of this is- I don't know. Easier- knowing I have someone who gets it.