after-party ♔ october

[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 || October 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

[wanttobeahero]

[ He probably...shouldn't be approaching her, after the conversation he had with Emma, but here's the thing, this is his mom, no matter what. Even when she's uh, apparently the Queen. But that answers the question of whether or not she'll even know who the hell he is, but he was kind of preparing himself for this so at least it's not as disheartening as it might otherwise have been.

He actually just kind of observes for a little while as he figures out what to even say when he approaches her. Not approaching isn't an option, in his mind.

Finally, he makes his way over, and to try and ease into this, he's got a little smile on his face. There's no need to make waves from the start, his goal is to try and start off on a good note. So he might as well play along to begin with. ]

Your Majesty. I'm Henry, just...thought I'd introduce myself.

[ A much better alternative to starting with, Hey, mom. ]

[unhappily]

[ ♬ be still - the fray

She pauses when he introduces himself, and for a moment, her features knit slightly, the name 'Henry' seeming to hit some kind of chord that she doesn't exactly understand. She looks almost puzzled as she studies him, slightly disturbed by the ring of familiarity, obviously uncomfortable with the memory loss whammy that's been ironically thrust on her.

She looks him up and down thoughtfully for a beat of total silence, before tilting her chin up a bit more and trying to shake it off. ] Henry. [ She repeats the name calmly, her voice not betraying any of the emotions prickling at her mind. ] Well. It's heartening to see that not all Wynn's Knights are incapable of showing respect where it's due.

[wanttobeahero]

[ The way her expression shifts and changes makes him almost want to blurt out the truth right then. But there's a voice of reason in the back of his mind, telling him that will come when the timing is right. There are ways he can prove that he's her son, except that doesn't help when they're dealing with memory loss; who knows what she really remembers about her past. So his strategy is to endear himself to her, and maybe, if she actually ever trusts him, she won't be completely resistant to the idea when he tells her that he's her son.

Or maybe it will all backfire spectacularly.

At least she's here. That's the biggest obstacle, conquered now. ]

My mom taught me well.

[ If only you knew... :') ]

Have you had a chance to explore the castle much yet?

[unhappily]

Snow's shown me where my chambers are, but beyond that, we haven't exactly had much time for a tour. We only just arrived in time for that... ceremony.

[wanttobeahero]

[ ...oh.

Damn. This is...interesting. ]

Snow is your...wow. [ Whoops. Recover, Henry. ] Sorry. That's great! I know her, actually, she's really nice and totally knows her stuff. [ I'm sure you'll get along fine. ]

[unhappily]

Nice. [ her lip curves up like it's a dirty word. ] Yes, I suppose she is that.

[wanttobeahero]

[ Ah. So very much his mom. ]

Well, I could show you around. I mean, now probably isn't the best time, but maybe a little later.

[unhappily]

Why not? If this palace is meant to be my new home for the time being, I might as well start learning my way around it.

[wanttobeahero]

[ Well...true. There's nothing that says they have to stick around. And he'll debrief the rest of his family later. Right now, he just needs this. ]

Well...sure. Follow me. [ He smiles faintly, and finds what he hopes will be a fairly inconspicuous path through the crowd. God, but how does she actually walk in that dress - that's a thought for a moment, because it seriously looks uncomfortable. Then again, she's used to it. ]

[unhappily]

[ so very used to it. makes this shit look easy tbh. as they head out, she makes some sort of attempt at... small talk. but her tone is sort of naturally demanding, so it doesn't really feel like that so much as an interrogation. ] Have you been a Knight long?

[wanttobeahero]

[ It's been a while, but he's probably more of a pro at this than, well, anyone. Though when he was younger, he never really talked like this with his mom. ]

I'm still pretty new to all this, but I love it. I sort of come from a family of heroes, so it's in my blood, I guess you could say. I'm not...doing this to make them proud, but if I do, well, that's a bonus.

[unhappily]

You were born in this world, then, I take it.

[wanttobeahero]

I came through the Veil when I was twelve, so I've been here for a while, but not my whole life.

Some of my family's here, though, with the Knights. [ It's so hard not to say anything right away, but. ] Can I ask you something? What do you remember about your past?

[unhappily]

[ the question obviously puts her ill at ease, which is probably pretty telling about what the answer is. there's a defensive tartness to her reply that only makes that clearer. ] Why do you want to know?

[wanttobeahero]

[ Whoops. ]

One of my relatives, he was here but he didn't remember anything about our family. He wouldn't know I ever existed. But others - only some of their memories are missing. [ Like him. ]

[unhappily]

And no one knows why some remember more than others?

[wanttobeahero]

No, I don't think so. [ He has a theory or two, but it doesn't really apply to everyone. ] But you're not alone, at least. And maybe there's a chance you're connected to some people more than you think. That's how it was for my grandfather, anyway.

[unhappily]

I can't say I like the idea of someone knowing more about me than I do.

[wanttobeahero]

I wouldn't like it, either. [ If the truth ever comes out, he really has no idea how he'd even tell her, or how she'd take it. And he's really conflicted about the whole thing because it feels like lying to her, even though maybe it's for her own good right now. ]

But, if I can help with anything, you know...I'm happy to.

[ He's trying - and probably failing - not to seem overly helpful; though it's in his nature to be kind & helpful anyway, he feels that way even more with her, but is trying not to smother her. ]

[unhappily]

Maybe you could tell me a bit more about what the castle has to offer in terms of studying magic.

[wanttobeahero]

[ He already knows, but... ]

Do you have much experience with it yet? [ He smiles a little. ] There are a lot of magic users here, people who can heal others, people who are telepathic. What kind of magic are you interested in?

[unhappily]

In this world, it'd seem to be what they call sorcery. Arcane magic.

[wanttobeahero]

There are a couple of knights I know for sure use that kind of magic, so you'd definitely have people to ask. Sorry, I...haven't met them personally, but I could help you find out, or ask around and let you know. I wish I knew that kind of magic sometimes, I used to be not so sure about magic, but now I think there's a purpose for it, if you use it the right way.

[unhappily]

The right way. [ lmfao she sounds so skeptical. WHAT IS THE RIGHT WAY TO USE MAGIC, HENRY, other than destroying your enemy's happiness ]

[wanttobeahero]

[ NO STEALING HEARTS, MOM.

But. Um. ]

Just...you know, using magic to help people, I mean.