open | your baddest behavior

[cozen]

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

Comments

[swordproof]

Six has always liked music, in a strange and abstract sense; she has no skill or talent at it herself, so different from the weight of a greatsword of the heft of a shield in her hand. She had been small when she had sat at her father's feet and listened to the bards sing of heroes and adventurers a thousand, thousand miles away, as if she might one day chase her own story and become one of them, eyes wide and alight at the possibilities.

She's distracted by the music to the point where she barely notices Bastien abandoning his instrument and stepping forward, her eyes wide and her expression a touch on the side of a little too much awe. Her hands are too big with fingers too thick for any of this; she almost jumps when Bastien sits near her, her expression pulling down just a little before she shakes her head.

"I do not think so," she confesses, like it is a secret. "I thought you were marvellous."

[cozen]

"Marvellous." He laughs, a little—just a puff of air, pleased and incredulous. "I will write that down, to read to myself on dreary days."

He won't. Or he might, but not because he doesn't know he's skilled. He used to make a not-insignificant amount of money, with music, even when nobody also needed someone spied on or betrayed in the meantime. But that was five years ago, at this point, so it's still nice to be reassured.

"We have spoken before," he adds, pauses, makes a circular gesture as if to urge a memory forward. "You were the dove, no? Who had a friend who was a lion."

[swordproof]

"Of course, ser," Six says softly. She is gentle with it, careful and soft, leaning close with a small smile. It's definitely shyer than she might be with someone else - she recognises his voice, but she's struggling to place it just a little.

She doesn't understand how to make music - she is more used to the sound of battle, the slam of sword against metal, the shake of metal scraping over metal. She knows that music better than anything else, but the bards of her home could do so much more than she ever could. It's miraculous to see it here.

"I believe we have," she smiles gently. "A dove, yes, with the lion. My name is Six and it is a pleasure to meet you."

[cozen]

"Bastien," he supplies, tipping his head nearer and matching her volume—though they can only be so quiet, to avoid being drowned out entirely by Byerly, Alexandrie, and Jenin. "And the pleasure is mine, of course."

Of course, because that is the thing people say, and to say it with too much sincerity and no qualification can easily be smarmy instead of suave, and he's having a nice night (now that the annoying parts are done) and doesn't want to ruin it putting effort into being slick with a perfectly nice young woman.

He smooths one side of his mustache, to be sure it's in order, and looks at the band-sans-him while he goes on.

"Do you play anything?"

[swordproof]

Six does continue to look a little overwhelmed; she doesn't really know what to do, sitting amongst all these people with so much pressure on her shoulders. She had to dance, she has to show that she can be something more than the bulky, strong girl that she had grown into, and the discomfort of wearing a dress has only been offset by the gentlest of compliments from people she actually cares for.

At least she's earnest enough about it all, and she watches Bastien for a moment before she smiles, looking back at all the other musicians before she breathes out, shifting to sit up a little taller, a little attempt at appearing more confident.

"Music? No." Her nose wrinkles, just a little. "I have never had a talent for something so intricate."