Action: Come one, come all!

[ofthebeast]

Characters: ALL THE PEOPLE
Open? Yes.
Where: The Palace
When: The night of the 3RD
What: A masquerade ball and a very deep sleep.
Warnings: Part of a comm-wide plot!

The Prince Sif has felled an unknown beast, and presented its stuffed head to the King. This would be reason enough for a ball, but there are victories to celebrate. More heroes arrive every day. The kingdom was aptly defended when the forest wall fell. No one has tried to assassinate the king in several days.

All told, a good night for a party. The theme of the ball is a masquerade, and shops in town have been surprisingly (almost suspiciously) able to provide gowns and masks in ready supply.

The palace has been opened to heroes and townspeople alike, provided they can present themselves appropriately. The heroes have been strongly encouraged to attend, and those who do not come voluntarily may well be greeted with royal retainers at their doorstep, outfit and dance card in hand. Expect a very full dance card, heroes.

The banquet table is stacked full of food – roasts and cheeses, summer fruits and vegetables, rivers of wine and more ornate desserts than should be permitted in a time or war. This evening is about success – best to enjoy it.

In the center of the ball sits the beast’s head. A scaly, purple thing. Its eyes have been taken out and replaced with rubies, its mouth twisted in the same sort of anguished look on its face as when Sif killed it. There has never been a beast like this in Schwanheim before – if you like, come closer and take a look. The king is very generous with his gifts.

[ooc: The party is a LIE. Well. No, it isn’t! Enjoy the party. Your characters will be expected to wear full masquerade gear, or they will be shunted aside and dressed properly.

After the attendees go home, they will be plagued with dreams more tangible than they have ever felt. More information here]

Comments

[shorterinperson]

Alanna was accustomed enough to wearing dresses now. As King's Champion she was often called upon to appear at formal events, and she had long since gotten over her hatred of dresses. Hers was simple, a long red thing, matched with red drop earrings and a red mask. She grimaced at the disembodied head and lingered by the food.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

Faolan saw her and left off his chase of the flame butterflies [although a few followed him] to run over.

"Alanna!"

Prepare for hugs, whether you want them or not.

[shorterinperson]

She was at least much more prepared this time than she had been the last time. She was still surprised and uncertain what to do.

"Hello Faolan. You seem to be enjoying yourself."

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"Yes! Are butterflies to chase! And head to look at! Alanna helped get beast, right?"

His face showed just how cool that made her.

[shorterinperson]

She gave him a small smile.

"Yes, I did. It was going to kill the villagers if I didn't." And she had help.

[greatsquirrelhunter]

"Do you know what it is?"

He radiates eager wriggling without actually doing it.

[shorterinperson]

She shook her head and frowned.

"I've never seen anything quite like it." It didn't bode well for what else might be lurking in those woods.

[halfwitch]

Gretel's out of breath when she comes by the refreshment table, having been running and dancing around in the shadows. She grins and pushes her simple black mask up her forehead when she sees Alanna, waving while hunting out something to drink.

"Hi, Sir."

[shorterinperson]

Alanna smiles wryly at her tiny ward, as she likes to think of the girl.

"Hello, Gretel. Are you enjoying yourself?"

[halfwitch]

"Yeah." She grabs a cold drink, gulping some down before continuing. "I've never been to something this fancy before. I thought it would be boring, but it's actually pretty fun."

[shorterinperson]

She sighed, sounding very put upon.

"I've gotten used to it, but I was never very good at this sort of thing. Court life just isn't for me."

[halfwitch]

"You don't like getting dressed up and dancing?" The smile slipped from her face, a confused expression replacing it.

[shorterinperson]

"I much prefer being in battle," she replied with a small smile. When she was younger she despised dresses.

[consultmybooks]

"One of the women of the hour, I hear."

Giles appears beside Alanna as she lingers. By virtue of being utterly intangible, he's gotten out of wearing any fancy dress, and is evidently pleased by this fact.

He nods towards the head. "Impressive work, by the way."

[shorterinperson]

"Thank you," she replies amiably with a small smile. "Though I would call it more gruesome than impressive. I don't see why they felt the need to display it next to our dinner."

[consultmybooks]

"Perhaps they, um, simply have a differing definition of 'gruesome'. It's been, um, i-it's been known to happen, living in a place like this. Or it might just, um, work up an appetite for them in the sense that they're glad to be alive, when it isn't."

Whatever it was and whatever it could do, Giles imagines that the living beast was probably a fearsome enough sight, the sort of thing that looked like it could chew up a village, if nothing else.

[shorterinperson]

"True enough," Alanna sighed. There were plenty of reasons for such a display, but she couldn't quite bring herself to get behind any of them.

"I suppose I'm more aware than most of how unappetizing the sight of that thing can be." Having fought it herself, she didn't find it particularly glorious or inspiring. More haunting, really, than anything else.

[consultmybooks]

He looks back at her, having examined the head enough by now to have damn near memorized it. "Just, um, out of curiosity, h-how many times have you been asked the story? Of, um, of how you and Sif killed it, I mean."

Giles, for his part, is deeply curious, if only because it's been so long since there was a monster he couldn't name, but he can also have some sympathy for Alanna having to relate the story time and time again.

[shorterinperson]

She grimaced.

"Only a dozen or so. I went home immediately when I found the stories had started to spread." She shot him a tight smile.

"It's ridiculous, the theories these people come up with." Of course, she didn't tell the story nearly as often as she told people what wasn't the story.

[folklorist]

Don't mind the blonde haired man wearing a very apparent sun mask not paying attention to where he's walking. He might just bump into you Alanna and look ever so apologetic about that. A stammered reply as he moves to face her.

"Oh! I-I'm terribly sorry. I-I wasn't paying attention to where I was going. Are you alright?" He was looking at all the delicious food admittedly. Whoops.

[shorterinperson]

"I'm fine, it's no trouble," she answered quickly. Then it occurred to her to smile.

"Are you enjoying yourself...?" She struggled for a name, but found that she didn't actually know it.

[folklorist]

"O-Oh thank goodness. I'm a bit absentminded at times, s-so I apologize for that. The, um, food looks positively delicious doesn't it?" He can't seem to keep his eyes off of it! Or the beast's head, really, but that thought just sends a chill down his spine. He blinks and looks back at her with a nod and smile.

"I am, thank you. It's a very nice party. And yourself?"

[shorterinperson]

She gives him an odd look, but smiles. He's kind of funny, like Miles but with more stuttering.

"It's nice," she agreed noncommittally. "The villagers don't seem to know who I am, so I haven't been bothered much."

[folklorist]

Helios is a derpy kind of funny. Don't worry he'll get better with the stuttering should he run into her again. He'll quirk his brow and tilt his head a little.

"You were well known then back at home I take it?" Helios smiles and shrugs as he looks back at the crowds of people.

"There are a lot of people here though. I'm not too surprised that we're not well known. I-I'm sure there are people who do know you though."

[shorterinperson]

She laughed and shook her head.

"I'm the King's Champion. There isn't a soul in Tortall that hasn't at least heard of the Lioness." She isn't one to linger in her own fame, but it is rather striking, no? She had once feared she would be exiled for her deception. Now she was one of the most famous women in her world.

"I try to avoid that sort of thing here. Especially when they throw parties every time you kill a monster."