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

[notathreat]

"We did stay our asses indoors," Ellie scoffs, but she's grinning. "Aside from when we snuck outside the walls to go sledding."

Which might be because she lived in the mountains, but hey. She's still grinning.

"I had my guitar to impress the girls with."

It even worked, some of the time.

[bouchonne]

He hums thoughtfully. "Perhaps I might have had better luck with your gittar," he replies. He slowly, cautiously loosens his grip on her arm, lifting his eyebrow to see if she's ready to lose that support.

"But I had to work hard. Perhaps it's because they were wary of being seduced and abandoned by the lord's son. There are always those dreadful ballads about that sort of thing - Engendered quite a lot of mistrust."

[notathreat]

"Gee-tar," Ellie corrects, which is definitely not how she just said it, but she's still smiling. She wobbles a touch as he lets her go, but determinedly matches his paces. She's not as sure as he is, but it's working. As long as he doesn't change direction quickly or try anything fancy, she's fine.

"Is there really no such thing as just... dating someone?" Ellie asks, frowning. "Having a relationship that might not lead to marriage? To find out if you even like each other?"

It seems horrendously complicated.

[bouchonne]

"Ah," says Byerly, the slightest touch of awkwardness in his voice. His smile turns a little crooked as he spins around to skate backwards, keeping a gentle pace with her.

"No. The worry was not marriage. The worry was - " His hand traces a curve over his stomach, tracing the outline of a pregnant belly. "Leaving a young woman in a state. No; marriage would have been out of the question, utterly."

[notathreat]

Ellie fights back a grin. It's novel to hear Byerly sound even the least bit awkward, but beyond that, she appreciates the casual show of skating skill.

"Yeah, I guess I could get being worried about that. But what about the guys?"

[bouchonne]

"Ah, yes." Byerly gives a lofty little sigh. "Unfortunately, Ferelden - especially rural Ferelden, far from the sin and wickedness of the big cities - is a rather...stuffy place. I thought, the first time that I kissed a boy, that I'd invented the act. Ex nihilo. Finding a lad willing to try this daring new practice was a bit tricky at first."

A light, amusing way to put it. It's Satinalia, after all. What's the point of sad tales on Satinalia? Of fathers who brimmed with hate over their son's perversions? No; far better for it to be cheeky and fun.

"But I found them, never you worry." He lifts a leg to skate on one foot. "Largely through such feats of athleticism. What fellow could resist this?"

[notathreat]

Ellie grins instantly at the idea of Byerly thinking he was the first- "Man, I wonder if we all feel like that."

Light, gentle- they both skate over the fear and wonder of it, of grand and terrifying secrets. Of harboring feelings for friends, unsure of how others would react. The inevitable reactions, some good and some horrible and sad. Some things don't change, even between worlds.

"I can see the appeal," she admits, admiring the way he skates backwards. And then, just to be a shit: "I can almost ignore your beard."