Open: Party Preparations

[madame_de_fer]

WHO: Josephine, Vivienne, OPEN
WHAT: Preparing the Inquisition for the Soiree
WHEN: 15 Guardian to 14 Drakonis (about a month's span before the event)
WHERE: Skyhold, varies
NOTES: * Josephine is the hostess of the shindig. Matters regarding invitations, guest lists, admittance, entertainment, food, or general complaints/suggestions should be directed to her.
* Vivienne has personally invited three tailors from Val Royeaux to assist with clothes making for the attendees. She is available to assist with design selections and/or advice on how to behave.
* YOU are open and invited to grab your nearest and dearest CR to complain about the party, ask for a date to he event, complain you have nothing to wear.
* Belinda Darrow has donated from her own private purse to the cost of clothing which people could otherwise not afford.

The Orlesian tailors arrived in great state, bringing with them a cadre of servants, workers, and snotty attitudes. They hate everything. It is cold in Skyhold. It is damp. Everything smells of wet dog. The working conditions are abysmal. The food is criminal. There's not a damned thing they don't complain about, except for the piles of coin they stand to make from this soiree. Yes, they are more than content to build a fortune with exclusive work that will be seen by some of the aristocracy's finest.

Harritt apparently doesn't much like them either. They've taken over his Undercroft with their fabrics and threads, designs and opinions. Oh they have opinions. He stays to one corner, attending his work, and grumbling under his breath about the poncy cheesesniffers.

Comments

[motherfucking_ghost]

Church is haunting the kitchens a little less than before, now that he's pretty sure he's got this fully functioning human body thing mostly down pat. But food is still awesome, and it's warm from the cooking, so hell yes he's still going to hang out there when he's got the chance, when he's not getting shooed away.

"Getting a snack, huh?" he says with a smirk, sidling up to Christine when he spots her. "Or cooking up some medicinal herbs?" (It'll stop being funny when he's dead, shut up.)

[aceso]

If elfroot wasn't such a common method of getting high, Christine probably wouldn't understand his joke. But she does and she purses her lips at him in displeasure.

"I am getting something to eat, yes. And you have come for the same?"

[motherfucking_ghost]

"What can I say, I like food even if I'm not a growing boy." Ever. He's never grown. He's always been at his robot height. Or a hologram! A tiny one. No wonder Grif was so fucking fat; what IS a wonder is why everyone ELSE wasn't.

Oh right because they also did stuff. "So. Exciting stuff going on around the castle these days. Really could've done without the whole 'demon rift accidentally opening' thing, though."

[aceso]

"Mmm, I think everyone could have done without that." Her gaze shifts to give him her full attention. "I am glad you were not hurt, beyond the pain in your hand. I would have tried to soothe it, had I been here."

And not just because he would have been complaining at the top of his lungs. Christine likes him. A little bit.

[motherfucking_ghost]

"It's fiiiine, I'm always fine." He would have immediately bitched about it to her or Addie or both of them and also to anyone in earshot. "Nothing a little pain laser salve can't help a little. It was...weird feeling. Connected to something like that through shit I can't explain." He frowns down at his hand, flexing it, before shaking it off like it's gone numb and refocusing on her. "Anyway. It sucks. But it wasn't me who did anything stupid this time, so."

[aceso]

"Pain... laser?" she asks, squinting up at him in confusion. She shakes her head because so many of the words he uses are foreign to her and it's just another reminder that he's not of this world.

"A very good thing. People are suspicious of the rifters, and though I wish this hadn't happened at all, at least it can be said this was not your doing." She nudges her plate towards him a little. "Would you wish to share with me?"

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Yeah, pain lasers. The...the laser-y thing that shoots out of my hand when there's rift-y stuff afoot. It hurts. Nevermind."

Nevermind because food! Shared food. With pretty girl. He absolutely takes a bite right off the plate. "Dude yes. I'm so down for sharing if you're down for me eating like half your food."

[aceso]

"The green light," she clarifies, as she saw it in Emprise du Lion when she helped retrieve people from the rift.

His reaction has her chuckling and shaking her head. "I do not mind. An equal part for you and for me, yes?"

[motherfucking_ghost]

"I mean..." he starts with a full mouth, managing to look sheepish for being a fucking pig. "Unless you were gonna eat it all? I can get my own plate. So I'm not an embarrassment to you in front of the cooks or whatever."

[aceso]

"I would not have offered if I minded." In truth, she probably took too much anyway, and she would hate to be wasteful.

"But I certainly don't want you to embarrass me in front of the cooks. They have been teaching me." She points a finger at him. "So no antics, understand?"

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Antics? Me? Surely the lady doth jest!" And ain't that a little shiteating smirk across the plate. "Maybe you should sneak away with a little food and wine, get a little fire going, whip up a fancy little meal all on your own, huh?"

[aceso]

"Maybe I will," she replies, though her amused look suggests she's not about to run off on him. "But I am already settled here, and the food's here. The company is bearable too."

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Only bearable? You're breaking my heart here." He shovels a little more into his mouth, smiling like an idiot.

"I don't think I can cook. Pretty sure I can't. Haven't actually tried before. Wouldn't wanna burn down the kitchen, though. I'll defer to the cooks who know what they're doing to feed a shitton of people every day."

[aceso]

She hums an amused sound, though she tries to at least look a little annoyed at his eating habits. Manners evidently aren't a thing in his land.

"Very wise of you," she replies. "Skyhold thanks you for not burning it to the ground."

She has to wonder if there are other rifters like him for whom the phrase 'fish out of water' was made. Plenty have adapted well, or come from such similar worlds that one would hardly notice if it wasn't for the glowing shard. Maybe Church gets to (unfortunately) be that special.

"I don't suppose you have an opinion on this soiree business that's being talked about, do you?" As a rifter, it may be of no interest to him.

[motherfucking_ghost]

He's usually pretty special. Usually in ways he doesn't actually like. There's 'saving the world' special, but then there's 'surprise you're a missing piece of a suuuuper fucked up puzzle' special. Stuff like that.

He makes a little face. "Soiree? No, sorry, I just, I don't think I've ever really heard that word used seriously in a sentence. It sounds so..." French. "Upper-crust-y. Um, so like, what, are we having a big ball? I dunno, food, party... Parties are usually good. Not sure I'd be allowed to go if it's a fancy to-do."

[aceso]

"It is what Madame de Fer and Ambassador Montilyet are calling it, but yes, it is a ball. And I think you can attend if you want. You can try all the upper crust-y food and see what you think of it all." But then she considers, and adds, "You would need to see the tailors about appropriate clothing, if you were to go."

[motherfucking_ghost]

"Get all dressed up for the school prom, huh," he muses with a little laugh. His (potentially fake, at the very least not his, likely bleedthrough) memories don't get specific about stuff like that, but he can't imagine ever having gone to a school dance before. "Guess you guys don't have anything like tuxedos here? Might be nice to actually...look nice instead of like I got dropped into a bog and was handed clothes that mostly fit."

He focuses on her. "Oh my god, are you gonna be in a ballgown? I've always wondered: how do you dance in those? or do literally anything?"

[aceso]

Christine shakes her head no, not knowing what either a prom or a tuxedo are. But surely he could clean up nice in something stylish. Though she isn't even going to suggest the puffy Orlesian bottoms men wear. He would look ridiculous.

"It does not have petticoats, so my dress is not voluminous like a ballgown, no. It takes skill to move in such restrictive clothing. The women who wear them tend to balance themselves with their arms, and take tiny steps."

[motherfucking_ghost]

"You'd look pretty silly in one. I mean, gorgeous! You'd still look gorgeous. But ridiculous. ...Ssssssso. Are you asking me because of any particular reason? I mean. You're probably going, right? You're at least from this planet. That's not weird. I'm pretty weird. If I keep gloves on, maybe I can pass as from around here. Maybe I'll adopt an accent, be, uh, Antivan or something."

[aceso]

"I will be attending, yes. And I wondered, perhaps, if I would see you there." Because that might be nice. She would like to see his reaction to her dress.

But, oh no he would do an awful Antivan accent. The very idea makes her want to cringe, but she holds it in.

"I think you would only need gloves. No accent." Please, no accent.

[motherfucking_ghost]

This is adorable. This is stupidly cute. He thinks this whole thing is just dripping with sugar but like in the best way. It's really easy, Church. Just suggest that the best way of seeing each other there would be to go together. It's fucking middle school! You can ask a girl out! How hard can it be?

"I mean. Sure, probably."

Nailed it.

"I mean yes. I'll. totally be there! And so will you! And we'll see each other in fancy clothes and dance to fancy music and eat fancy foods! At the same time."

Super. fucking. nailing it.

"Together?"

!!!!!

[aceso]

The way he speaks is like a man with no internal thought process, and isn't that a frightening thought? Christine waits while he states the obvious, preparing herself for a somewhat sarcastic response, but such a notion disappears when he asks if they can go together.

???

No one has ever asked her to accompany them to an event before. There has never been such an opportunity in her life. Is this what it's like for the non-mages? The boys ask the girls to their country dances and picnics? It must be this way. And she rather likes it.

"Yes, I would like that. Us going together."

Super nailed it. If he plays his cards right, he'll be nailing even more.

[motherfucking_ghost]

This is now super dumb he feels so dumb for how giddy he feels. He is not a pre-teen girl! Why does he feel like things are gonna get all rose-tinted and anime flower petals in a second?

"Did I just ask you out to the castle dance? Oh my god. I'm a dweeb. Did that come out okay at all? That did not come out okay. Augh, I'm so bad at this! Not that I'm ever bad at this, obviously, because, I'm usually super smooth about this with the ladies. Not that there's usually dances going on in the army."

Or ladies, for that matter, in the middle of the canyon. There's Grif's sister, for a short-ass period of time, aaaaand Tex and TEX DOES NOT COUNT IN THIS CASE.

"So we're going together! As like a...dddddate? ...Wait when is this thing? When is this happening, cuz, uh, outfit. I'll need that thing, the, uh, an outfit, a fancy thing to wear."

[aceso]

His reaction makes a smile spread across her face. He's excited about attending with her! And of course he tries to recover by saying he's smooth. Uh huh. When brontos fly.

"Church," she says with laughter in her voice and a hand reaching out to touch his, "What matters is that you want to go with me. I am looking forward to it. And it will be midway through Drakonis, so yes, please do get something to wear."

But still no Antivan accent.

[motherfucking_ghost]

Oh. Oh pretty girl touching hand like dumb romcom oh. What does he do. (She's warm. Of course she's warm! She's a human with skin and so are you! It's not like armor and layers of alloys. and circuitry.) Do something fuck don't make it weird.

"I'll totally do that thing. ...I uh. I'm starting to realize I should probably learn um...y'know, time. The calendars, how your calendars work, I mean." Well...he didn't make it too weird, anyway. "I was talking to Adelaide and was trying to figure out what Guardian even was. Guess I've been too busy looking at maps to realize maybe I should know what day it is..."