faderift | SATINALIA

Entry tags:

SATINALIA

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sounds like an any date kind of thing to Clarisse, if she's being honest, but she just snorts.

"Maybe. Sword might be better, I dunno." Heavier, but it'd give her a little more area to work with. Also, sue her, maybe she's a little freaked by the idea of breaking a third Maimer in some frivolous pissing contest with Ellie. It's not like she can ask her dad for another replacement.

"More to use to deflect," Ellie says with a nod, like she knows fuck-all about fighting with a sword. Abby would be the person to talk to about that, but she shuts down that suggestion. She's not there yet.

Ellie will use the wooden-point arrows too, the ones that are little more than sharpened sticks, designed to be pulled out of the target without tearing it up.

"I'm heading out tomorrow for an assignment but I should be back the day after."

"Yeah?"

Clarisse doesn't ask where she's going, or what she's going to be doing there, not because she doesn't care but because she's not sure if she's supposed to know.

"Okay. Day after tomorrow, then."

"It's just some courier stuff," Ellie reassures her. "Nothing too crazy."

Sometimes it's a little crazy, but even if she doesn't believe in tempting fate, it seems like a bad idea to mess around.

Ellie settles, rubbing at the back of her neck, letting her eyes fall shut as she works out the kinks.

"When are you usually using the practice field?" so she can hopefully gauge when Abby isn't there, but. She's deciding right now that that won't actually stop her.

"Right," Clarisse says. She knows it's important work and all, but courier stuff seems like it's gotta be so boring. Then again, she spends her own time mostly talking to animals who just stare at her, so whose day job is worse?

"I train in the morning after breakfast." But it seems the same thought's occurred to her, about Abby, and she adds, "And some days after I'm done work, too." There isn't any time she can guarantee being by herself, but that at least improves the odds somewhat.

It's thoughtful of her, and it takes Ellie aback. Like shit, how weird are she and Abby being about this? Or is Clarisse just that perceptive?

Both options are... a lot.

"I'll be around later in the day," she settles on. "Try not to get too tired before I show up."

A little of column A and a little of column B, perhaps. Clarisse can be more perceptive than she lets on, but it's also hard not to miss the way Abby and Ellie tense up whenever the other one's mentioned out loud. Which she has learned, and quickly, to stop doing. Which is why she doesn't acknowledge the reason they're planning on doing this later in the day, when the lighting's less good and she's more likely to fuck up blocking a sharp projectile being shot at her body.

Whatever, it's fine.

"I don't get tired," she says. Not true. Especially not true here, in Thedas. But still not something she's worried about.

"Whatever, god-girl," Ellie scoffs, but it only barely covers the laugh.

"Us mortals will just have to struggle to keep up with you."

Is she particularly worried about putting an arrow in Clarisse? ... maybe a little. But she can handle it.

"Uh, okay. Pretty salty, coming from I-can-hit-anything-anytime-with-anything." Clarisse rolls her eyes, but fondly. "It's not just god shit. I work hard for this muscle."

She gives her bicep a little flex, holding her arm up obnoxiously right in Ellie's personal space. She does work really hard. (It's just... also god shit.)

Hot and obnoxious. Ellie wrinkles her nose and pushes at her arm.

"We'll see if it comes in handy when I'm shooting at you."

Not that Ellie's aim would come in handy if Clarisse grappled her, but they're not talking about logic here.

"It won't," she admits. "But I was promised stitches, and then I'll pulverize you the next time we spar."

Clarisse gives her another big, annoying grin.

"You just wanna see me all bruised up again," Ellie teases, completely unbothered.

Honestly, Clarisse is going to cream her. It's just a matter of how badly she's gonna give it back.

“Maybe.” Clarisse raises her eyebrows and rests her chin in one palm, looking over at Ellie.

“You know I think it’s hot.”

Clarisse casually owns it, and really, it's not fair how that has Ellie's fingertips fumbling to keep their hold on their mug. She likes her easy confidence. The way she knows what she wants, and says so.

"I have questions," she says, in a way that's supposed to be playful. At least it's steady. "But I think we're technically at work."

"I have answers," Clarisse says—does she, though?—and gets to her feet with a little stretch. She wants more wine.

"Want another drink?" She extends a hand for Ellie's mug.

Ellie clutches her mug with both hands as Clarisse stands up, makes herself draw in a deeper breath. It's good that she doesn't seem to expect a response right away.

"Sure," she says, hiding it up. "Thanks. Whatever you're getting. I'll save our spots."

Not that there's a lack of them, really. But it's the principle of the thing.

Clarisse disappears for a couple minutes, but returns shortly with both of their mugs refilled with wine, and flops down into the seat next to Ellie again.

She’s content to sit quietly for a minute, but then she asks, “Are you having fun?”

Ellie takes a slow drink of the wine, kinda letting it settle on her tongue, considering.

She's not so great at subtlety, but: "You wanna get out of here?"

Clarisse does a decent job of not looking totally surprised. She doesn’t even choke on her wine or anything! She does have to clear her throat before she answers, but… the bonfire… smoke…

“Sure. Where do you wanna go?”

"We could sneak some of these snacks up to the griffons. I'm sure they'd appreciate celebrating too. Or..."

Ellie trails off, trying to sound casual. Take it or leave it, Clarisse. No pressure.

"We could head back to my room, get away from the noise."

Much as Clarisse likes the griffons, she's not sure she's up for spending the night with them while they attack her over the snacks in her pockets and compete with her for Ellie's attention. She wrinkles her nose and smiles behind the rim of her mug.

"I'd like to see your room."

Cute.

Ellie catches herself thinking it again, something that has her gripping her mug a little tight, feeling warm. Maybe it's the wine, maybe it's that Clarisse is so open about wanting to spend more time with her. Maybe it's because she feels the good kind of sore from skating and dancing and sitting in front of the fire.

"All right."

For once, Ellie doesn't overthink it, sometimes that's much easier when it's Clarisse.

She offers her a hand up; a few people are starting to leave anyway, they won't create a big stir by bowing out. Ellie's room in the mage tower isn't that far. She nudges the door open with her shoulder, still carrying her drink, and lights up the lamp.

The room's got a single bed rather than two, probably meant to house a couple, but there's no sign of a roommate. It has the sense of someone who didn't originally intend to stay long, so it's not strictly decorated, but she's made a lot of use of the space. There's an easel tucked in the corner on a drop-cloth, currently empty but well-loved. Eluvia is resting unstrung near the door, with quiver and a saddlebag ready to be snatched up. The bed's unmade and a little messy, and the drawers of the dresser are askew. There's an untidy stack of library books and some first-aid supplies next to the bed, and the window's cracked open.

There's a desk covered in various journals and larger sketches and propped-up canvases in some disarray, stacks of art supplies, some of them really good quality, and the case for the dulcimer Ellie was playing earlier in the evening.

Ellie's room feels like her. The unmade bed, the open drawers, the bow and saddlebag next to the door waiting for her to grab them on her way out. Even all the art stuff, the sketches and the easel in the corner—they're unexpected, but they seem like they fit all the same. Clarisse feels like she could've picked this room out as Ellie's even if it was lined up next to a dozen others.

Or maybe she's just kidding herself, and there could have been anything in here and she would have felt the same way.

She takes a seat on the bed (is that weird? too comfortable? whatever, she's doing it), holding the mug of wine in one hand, and nudges the topmost library book with her foot to look at the cover for a brief second, before turning her attention back to the more interesting things.

"I didn't know you did art."

The cover of the book is mostly plain, but she'll be able to see Ferelden: Folklore and History in a brief glance at the cover.

Ellie kicks her boots off, shrugging out of her cloak before she sits down on the bed with Clarisse, nodding as she undoes some of the tighter buttons on her outfit. It's fancier stuff than she normally wears, and clearly somebody else picked it out for her at some point. But it's beginning to pinch.

"Yeah," Ellie huffs, rolling her eyes upward. "I was super into comic books as a kid. When I could find them, anyway. So I started doodling and stuff once we got to Jackson. Then I started getting into painting-" she gestures at the easel and paints across the room, the sketches sitting out. "You can look. If you want. I was finishing up one that Derrica asked me to do for Marcus, so it's kinda messy."

She's trying to sound casual, but it's something she's a little proud of.

Oh, right. Duh. Clarisse kicks her own boots off and leaves them next to the bed for someone to trip over later.

Her eyes are drawn to Ellie undoing the buttons on her outfit—it was a good outfit down by the fire and it's an even better one up here, alone, in the light of Ellie's room. She's almost tempted to ask if Ellie wants any help with those buttons. But after a moment, she stands up and looks through some of the sketches Ellie has sitting out, gradually makes her way over to look at the thing she's working on for Derrica.

"These are cool. You're good."

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject