SATINALIA

[incaenstrix]

WHO: Everybody!!
WHAT: SATINALIA!!
WHEN: Backdated to the first day of Firstfall
WHERE: Gallows courtyard
NOTES: Drunkenness and shenanigans. HALLOWEENMAS!!

This Satinalia is, perhaps, less grand than in years past. Blockades are still limiting access to luxury goods, after all, so the fine liquors and dainty foods that have been featured before are nowhere to be found. And Tertia, the temporary Morale Officer, doesn't have the connections or deft touch of organizers past, so things are rougher than they've been before - the musicians are less polished, the ale a little more watered-down, the decorations somewhat haphazard.

But you know what? It's still Satinalia. Nothing can really screw up Satinalia. Especially because there are some rather lovely touches, the best of which might well be the ice skating rink. A section of the Gallows Courtyard has been roped off and frozen over with magic, leaving a (largely) smooth sheet of ice covering it. Skates are available to borrow if you don't have a pair. Of course, some injuries are definitely going to result (if you skate off the edge, you're smacking into stone instead of a soft snowbank, which can be disastrous), but hey, it's fun.

Other perks are the bonfires, with mulled wine and cider being served out of cauldrons around them, where people might sit and reflect while watching the flame. There's also dancing, of course, with the musicians basically being any band that's been recommended by members of Riftwatch - so there are lots of half-competent cousins-of-friends playing here. What they lack in skill they make up for in enthusiasm; this is the first gig for a lot of them, and they're thrilled to be here.

One thing that's missing is the Satinalia fool being named ruler. Tertia wasn't familiar with this tradition and didn't arrange it - so there's a last-minute campaign being held, in which people can either nominate others or self-nominate to be named Riftwatch's greatest fool to be celebrated.

Enjoy yourself. Exchange presents. Get drunk. Have a blast. Don't lose any teeth.

Comments

[laruetheday]

She snorts, says in an almost taunting voice, "What, too cold for you?"

In this house, we're not afraid to mock our elders (who are also virtual strangers).

[thereneverwas]

"Yes," Barrow answers with frank incredulity, "you ever been submerged in fuckin' ice water moments after waking up?" He taps his index finger impatiently on his mug, "I'd be happy to oblige you." He's joking, but there's a challenge in the statement.

[laruetheday]

"No, but I got you beat," Clarisse says, noting the challenge in his tone and grinning. "Ever been frozen in a fuckin' ice block?"

To be fair, though, it didn't happen to her first thing after she woke up. Maybe that's what makes the difference.

[thereneverwas]

Barrow opens his mouth, then closes it again. That does sound worse.

"How'd you manage that?" he asks, allowing curiosity to overtake their one-upping.

[laruetheday]

Clarisse shrugs, takes a sip of her wine.

"I was battling a Hyperborean giant, but it managed to freeze me before I could kill it. Had to wait around for someone to come thaw me out."

That part sucked. Worst case of brain freeze ever, not to mention how long it took her to stop shivering afterward.

[thereneverwas]

Barrow starts to try to repeat the word 'Hyperborean' but gets lost with it halfway to his mouth, focusing instead on the rest of the story.

"That," he muses, thinking seriously on the matter, "sounds very unpleasant."

[laruetheday]

"Definitely sucked," Clarisse agrees. "That was a couple years ago now."

And in another universe. Kind of a distant memory, especially while she sits next to a bonfire, drinking wine, just relaxing.

[thereneverwas]

"You seem to have made it out all right, at least." Barrow's smirk returns, and with it the warmth in his eyes.
"Just long enough to fall out of the sky in a strange place, at least."

[laruetheday]

"Yep," Clarisse agrees. "Lucky me."

She says it much less angrily than she would have even a month or so ago. She's still not exactly thrilled to be here, but she's coming around on the idea.

"You from here?"

[thereneverwas]

"Yes-- well, not here here. Ferelden." Barrow nods in the affirmative, "I did not fall out of the sky. Or... well, that was different. And not out of a rift."

[laruetheday]

"What's Ferelden like?"

Clarisse really doesn't know anything about the world outside of Kirkwall. The only time she's been out of the city was when she rifted in a few months ago. She's picked up on names, but knowing the names of other countries is pretty meaningless when you don't have any context for them.

[thereneverwas]

"Oh, you know. Like this, but... less." He gestures around idly. "Less stone, more farms. Mud, dogs, country folk. The jokes you hear about it are mostly true, 'less you're getting toward Denerim or Amaranthine, I suppose."