faderift | open | your baddest behavior

open | your baddest behavior

WHO: Alexandrie, Bastien, Byerly, and their captive audience
WHAT: Mandatory etiquette and dance lessons
WHEN: Justinian 15, 9:45
WHERE: The Gallows
NOTES: See the OOC post and IC announcement for more information! If you didn't sign up, you can still participate in Parts A and D, and just handwave the other two, without needing to sign up or get an assignment. If you want to do B and C, you can find your own dance partner/seating group OOC, or you can sign up now and we'll dole out new assignments if we get enough latecomers to do so. If you signed up and are missing from the lists when you shouldn't be, I'm sorry and please tell me!

disclaimer: event less fancy than pictured

Seating Assignments
— Table One: Gwenaëlle, Iorveth, Matthias, Athessa
— Table Two: Flint, Ilias, Darras, Med Seller, Yngvi
— Table Three: Julius, Thranduil, Anders, Brienne
— Table Four: Benedict, Colin, Valentine, Six, Derrica
— Table Five: Teren, Salvio, Bartimaeus, Osana
— Table Six: Freddie, Petrana, Kain, Merrill, Silver
— Table Seven: Yseult, Cosima, Steve, Inessa
— Table Eight: Sidony, Fifi, Nell, Fingon
— Table Nine: Thor, Nathaniel H., Solas, Skadi

Dance Partners
— Cosima & Nathaniel H.
— Athessa & Anders
— Teren & Flint
— Freddie & Bartimaeus
— Yseult & Darras
— Nell & Julius
— Merrill & Colin
— Skadi & Benedict
— Gwenaëlle & Solas
— Petrana & Salvio
— Osana & the Medicine Seller
— Sidony & Matthias
— Six & Thranduil
— Brienne & Valentine
— Fifi & Steve
— Thor & Fingon
— Ilias & Iorveth

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Arriving at this ball had been something of an ordeal for Six; she has never been to a formal event like this before, not without her full armour and a band of some kind behind her. She had never been invited to such a place before, and her awkwardness is obvious as she walks through, her skirts swirling around her feet, her hair tied up properly, brushed and threaded and braided to perfection. It's far less messy than her usual style, which shows something of the effort she has put into this - she does not want to shame herself or anyone else.

Her dress is simple, something she was able to buy for herself with her own funds. It's not as fancy as others she has seen, but she knows she would not be even a little comfortable in the midst of everything else; she would be too distracted with silks, with making sure not to dirty it or ruin it somehow. Cotton is easier, and it hangs on her broad shoulders easily enough, her fingers brushing over the front to soothe it down.

Eventually, she breathes, standing off to one side, fingers curling in and out of the fabric of her dress. At least here she can watch - it's unlikely that anyone will ask her to dance, and she is more than accepting of that.

Edited 2019-06-17 22:00 (UTC)

"My lady." He'd watched her all evening, stealing glances during dinner and the formal dancing, and he'd resented his partner all the more for the fact that Fingon hadn't been Six. Now things have calmed and Thor's found his opening, coming over with a smile on his face and two glasses of water in his hands.

"I did not know if you would prefer to dance or drink, so I brought an option if you chose to turn me down for the first." Thor smiles at her, but there's a little doubt and a little question there too. Does she want to dance with him? Tevinter isn't popular, and this is rather public. But she looks gorgeous in an outfit he'd never see on any of the usual women he'd had flings with and it's worth a try.

Six perks up at the familiar voice, turning to look at Thor with a soft, careful smile on her face. Some of the tension in her shoulders relaxes as she sees him, immediately moving closer; he is someone she knows and someone she thinks that she can trust, allowing herself to be a touch less on guard then she might have been otherwise. With what she and Thor have shared in the past... She thinks she ought to trust him here.

Reaching out, she takes one of the glasses of water, quietly relieved.

"My lord," she says in reply, a touch teasing. She knows he dislikes being called by name, especially by her. "I would be happy to do both if you don't mind the company and the threat of having your feet stepped on."

He'd started the formality. It's only fair she continues it. There's amusement replacing the momentary doubt now as he drinks from his own glass.

"My boots are sturdy and I daresay I have danced with worse." After another drink he snorts. "There was one, Magister... I don't even remember. Loki might. She was too drunk to fully stand upright on her own but she insisted she was fine for dancing as long as she had my arms to support her. She was not fine."

Brightening further, he sets down his cup and holds out an arm. "You do not look like you will vomit on the both of us and a few servants. My boots and feet will survive."

Six is not entirely accustomed to teasing a man - not like this, not outside the battlefield - but she is doing her best. She feels quite plain compared to all the other women here, even compared to a great deal of all the other men, and there's tension in her that she cannot quite shrug off or hide. Even in front of Thor; or, rather, especially in front of him, the man she finds she wants to impress.

"That is a bold claim to make," she admits. "But I will do my best not to wound you so much that you cannot walk, if you are content to have me. I think I can manage that after my practice with Ser Thranduil."

Reaching out, she slips her hand into the crook of his arm, still nervous.

"I hope we can count that as a promise."

"Bold serves me. You are going to dance with me, after all." There's not a chance she would have approached him, or anyone else, for that matter. She could be formidable and imposing

He places a hand over hers as he leads her to the floor. "I may know more of the dances of the area than him." While he doesn't know how much Thranduil knows, he'd wager on his knowledge of Thedas over that of a Rifter's any day. The music picks up a little and he moves his hands - one to her hip, and one to take her hand.

"This starts simply. But if you get the hang of it, there are flourishes." There's some optimism in his tone. He likes flourishes, likes showing off, both of which she may be cluing into by now.

There is no way Six would have approached him and they are both aware; she would not have had the courage. She might have spoken to him, she might have whispered to him if she was nearby, but she would not have asked him to dance. Not being as on edge and unsure as she is.

At least she is walking with him; at least she trusts him to guide her properly and not lead her into embarrassment.

"Then I would be glad to learn," she admits. At least she knows that Thor would not lead her wrong, not when she knows he is interested in her. Unless this was all a joke...

But the kiss...

"I put my trust in you."

His gaze grows all the softer. From everything he can see, trust does not come easily to her. She's afraid despite her power and her stature, despite how physically strong she is. That she trusts him means she must be into him the way he is with her, right? Yes, she's a Rifter and therefore somewhat spirit, more or less, but they still have natures to be true to. Hers isn't a dishonest nature. He'd stake his house on that.

"I will not lead you astray," he promises. For once, he'll cut back on the extra-ness. He can do without some of the flourish here. It's not like rival houses are watching and judging him right now, and if some Orlesians are judging well. They're Orlesian. They can go eat their pretty masks and pretend they're not two-faced even without them.

Thor leads her through the base pattern: a circle that joins to a line that returns to a circle. There's a couple of crossing steps, a little footwork, but nothing too taxing, he hopes.

Six does not know what to do with herself, at least for a brief moment, when he smiles at her. All the strength in her and she feels undone by a man's smile - and she feels just like she did when she had been younger and enamoured, looking up at Adrian with wide, adoring eyes and wondering how he couldn't see that she loved him, so deeply and earnestly. (He had seen, he had known, and he had kept his own thoughts to himself to protect her, her training, her faith).

"Then I will be glad." And their hands are together, they're moving as a pair, and she feels comfortable. Confident. Prepared. She had danced with Thranduil and not made an entire fool of herself, so she is sure she can muster the same for Thor, who she has much more of an interested in.

"Do you dance often?"

"I do. Not as often here, but back at home I had to attend any number of functions." Another round of the floor, and she has yet to step on his feet. It's a good sign, he feels.

"You may have noticed that I am not... the most adept at politics. Back home parties are far more dangerous than this. The wrong alliances or agreements can see people dead or your house weakened, and the easiest way to not say the wrong thing while also impressing people, for me, is the dance floor." He gives her another smile, meeting her gorgeous eyes. The way she looks up at him, like he's all she can see, fills his heart and makes him feel all the more confident here. "My brother does the talking, and I do the more physical showing off. It has worked well for House Asgard."

"I was never invited to events like this in my own world. I was focussed on protecting people, on training as a Paladin. People did not wish for me to come to... These things, especially without any noble birth."

Her eyes keep glancing down and she looks at her feet, careful. She doesn't want to stamp her heel down onto his toes, and her lips turn down in a frown for a moment before she breathes out.

"I do not know much about politics myself," she admits. "I know about religion and about Sarenrae, but..." Reaching out, Six squeezes one of his hands gently, breathing out a little. She's anxious because she wants to make a good impression - she realises she wants him to like her, to keep liking her. "I think you are wiser than you imagine yourself to be."

For a moment his step and expression wavers. She's kind and sensitive. His world could destroy her, between her heritage and her gentleness, but just as quickly as the mood strikes him it's gone. His mother had also been kind and she'd done well. Maker, she'd been kind to the point where she'd taken in a qunari child. Thor holds her hand in return and steps off to the side. Maybe dancing isn't the best option for now; they can work on it privately later.

"We may still see how suited or not I am to politics. Tevinter may win her freedom from Corypheus as well as fend off Orlais." That, or there's a second war ahead of him, one for independence. "But you may take to it as well. You have never had opportunity before to see how you would do. Perhaps you will excel." His people might not know what to make of her. And if Lexie could coach Six... There were possibilities there.

There’s some anxiety to her as they step away, fearful for a moment that she might have done something wrong - that she had said something to offend him. There’s a knot of panic before he speaks again and she nods her head; this she could understand. Fighting she knows, defunding people is something she recognises, and she can survive this.

She cannot hide her softness when she looks at him.

“I will do all I can to help your people. You know that.” Six’s smile softens as she reaches, her fingers touching his face briefly for a moment. “I do not know if I would be any good, but I will fight for your people. I will fight with you.”

Thor reaches up to brush her cheek with his thumb, feeling his heart near full to bursting. Having someone not just to partner with but to fight alongside is just about everything he's ever wanted, and then there's everything there is to Six on top of that. She may be a spirit, may not be fully real, but if that ever comes up or matters they'll deal with that then.

"I would be honored to have you fighting beside me." He pauses for a moment, glancing down, before he continues. "And more. I would be more than honored if you would do more than be an ally, Six. I would like it."

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swordproof - 2019-07-03 17:04 (UTC) - Expand

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thorndergod - 2019-07-05 20:34 (UTC) - Expand

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swordproof - 2019-07-05 20:59 (UTC) - Expand

Wandering around the party after she and Thor have danced makes her feel a little awkward; she's sure she has been watched, that people had noticed, but there's a small part of her that doesn't mind despite her anxiety. Whatever is happening between her and Thor is something good, surely, especially after so long alone. Adrian would be content with her moving forward, surely, especially when she had given so many years to mourning his death.

At least no one can say that they're too terribly matched. She is tall enough for him and he does seem fond enough of her, despite his awkwardness about her heritage - she is barely elven, but it might have been elven enough for him.

She's not paying as much attention as perhaps she should, and she almost doesn't notice when she practically walks into someone, eyes widening before she glances up, still in a world of her own. Shameful, she thinks, that a man could affect her like this.

"My apologies."

Loki has attended this show of courtly behavior because it is mandatory, not because he needs brushing up on etiquette. He had assumed it would be more amusing to watch but, thus far, there had been far less faux pas than he had been expecting. Well...until a woman all but plowed into his back. Had he been expecting it or even noticed her, or had she been even a head shorter than she was, he might've been able to save his drink. As it was, the whole of it spilled down the front of him and Loki's expression fell to withering as he turned to stare...up at her.

"Yes, those would be a good start."

The look of horror on Six's face is undeniable as she stares at Loki. She had no intention of ruining this for someone, and there's a knot of anxiety bubbling in her stomach - this is why someone like her, gangly and awkward and uncomfortable, should not be allowed at functions like this. She makes a mess of things, all the joy slipping out of her before she breathes out sharply.

"I - I am sorry," her voice is low and quiet, despite her size and stature. "I will pay for it to be properly cleaned."

Given the general temperament of people in Kirkwall, or at functions like this (at least the proper ones), Loki was expecting a bit more pushback. He was wearing an obvious brooch with a Tevinter snake, he was clearly clad in a style that was not Orlesian, and he was standing in a thoroughfare with an open drink. A sniping insult or offer to toss some gold at it would be par for the course.

This one actually....looked apologetic, though? That was strange. Were she less tall he would be under the impression she was cowed.

What use were mandatory etiquette lessons if they didn't teach you how to deal with pompous pricks?

Loki rolls his eyes and, in a strange turn, feels rather generous.

"No, no, no," he corrects and with a wave of one hand manages to clear the drink from his robes, or at least hide the damage from sight. It is impossible to tell which, honestly.

"Come now, if you're going to attend a real party like this you have to be prepared for some snark. Orlesians love it when you manage to tell them off cleverly. Apologizing and offering recompense only works with Nevarrans. Try again."

Six is not like most people and she is aware of that; on the battlefield or defending those that need it she is fierce and dangerous, a warrior in her own right, noble and proud. In a function like this where she clearly stands out, does not fit in, does not seem the part... She feels like she is a child once more; as if the looming threat of punishment is hanging around her like a shadow, breathing down her neck.

She winces, just a little. Those are not the thoughts to be having now, not when she has been engaging in such a pleasant evening.

"Ah," and the damage is gone as if she had never done it in the first place, and she absently wishes she had that sort of magic as well, "try again?"

What is she supposed to say? Adalia would be better at this, surely, and she longs for her sister so fiercely it aches.

"Perhaps you should not have been in my way?"

"Good but not particularly cutting," Loki replies conversationally, gesturing with his empty drink. "You should add an insult to it, passive aggressive is best if you can manage it."

He thinks a moment and gestures to himself.

"You perhaps didn't see me, my outfit is so quiet you thought I was a furnishing? Perhaps you could play upon my perceived deficiencies?" Loki suggests. "You aren't given to looking so far down when you walk?

"Though, I suppose, that does open one up to insults in the riposte." He hums idly and then looks her over. She is still waiting on him for either leave to go or acceptance of his apology...or a lesson. It is hard to say. He appreciates her quiet slightly meek demeanor, it makes him feel all the more important, if only subconsciously.

"Good attempt, though. How are you at dancing?"

"I am not designed to be cutting, I do not think." Six is designed to destroy people on the battlefield, to crush them under the weight of her greatsword, to feel the flames of Sarenrae's touch and know that she has done something good. Social situations like this, gatherings, parties... She does not feel as comfortable, and it shows.

Her eyes flick down and she looks at him, hesitant, before -

"You are not that short." As if that is the problem here. But all she looks is awkward and uncomfortable; this is the sort of thing Benedict might have taught her to do, once upon a time, but she has not had such education in months.

Perhaps it is good they have done this - that they have taken the chance to teach the new Riftwatch all this business.

"Better than I am at this," she admits. "I have not broken any toes yet."

"Do not underestimate the value of pointed clumsiness," Loki warns but it has little bite to it. He regards her a moment and tilts his head as he thinks.

"Who was your partner?"

"I may attempt to learn if it proves useful." Perhaps if she keeps going to these events - the wedding, and with her relationship with Thor...

Hesitating, she tries to pretend that her cheeks are not flushed.

"Thor."

The grimace that pulls across Loki's face is one he only bothers to stifle and it gives it a casual, joking air. His expression shifts to something a little longsuffering and apologetic and he sets his empty glass aside on a nearby table.

"My condolences," Loki tells her dryly. "Though you appear to have survived well enough."

There’s a moment where it seems as though Six might leap to Thor’s defence - that she might say something to show this man just what she thinks of his comment, but she bites her lip. She’s not yet comfortable enough to do such a thing, and she fears giving it away despite the colour on her cheeks.

“He was a good partner,” she says instead. “I did not think I would be capable of matching him.”

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open | your baddest behavior

six (ota)

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for loki.

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