faderift | Truth or Dare: The Imperial Court

Truth or Dare: The Imperial Court

WHO: Select Orlesian and Fereldan Nobility and the Inquisition
WHAT: Josephine and Vivienne have orchestrated a good-will soiree in response to this dastardly rumor.
WHEN: Drakonis 15, Evening
WHERE: Skyhold Great Hall
NOTES:
- A list of nobles in attendance can be found here. The list was provided by the mods but there will be no npc support for them. Play away.
- A secondary outside party is being held in the valley in the tent town for anyone who couldn't/wouldn't attend and/or behave in the fancy pansty party.
- The goal of the evening is to clear up a spurious rumor about Cassandra and Leliana, with secondary goals of establishing the Inquisition as a respectable presence in Thedas (and fish for more money). Any major disruptions that would Game Over the court approval should probably be brought to the advisors and/or mods.

To say that Josphine has far outdone herself with this little soiree would be the understatement of the year. The Lady Ambassador has pulled out all the stops in providing a festive and yet elegant stage for this political intervention. Because sometimes gossip can be more deadly than a sword.

The Great Hall of Skyhold has been converted into a grand receiving hall, glittering with hundreds of lights around the room, in addition to the repairs accomplished to the original chandeliers. Of course, there has been artful placement arranged so there are a few shadowy corners for rendezvous of the more suggestive nature. Just in case. The majority of the floor has been cleared for dancing, and a fine troupe of musicians have been installed for the bulk of the evening's entertainments. Some members of the Inquisition have plans to entice attendees with their own artistic performances in addition to the group of mages performing illusory tricks to oohs and aahs.

For those who feel their energy flagging, there are chairs set against the walls, with a few tables interspersed between. Servers hired for the evening circulate the crowds with wine, fine Orlesian and Nevarran reds as well as crisp whites from Antiva. Refreshments are set out on buffet tables, tasteful and extravagant nibbles, including imported cheeses, spicy saucisson, dried fruits and nuts, and the highly sought after deep mushroom and anise petits fours that are all the rage in Orlais.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

“I enjoy the competitive spirit, but I think I understand what you mean.” Sometimes he takes his rivalry with Cecil a little too far. Not that it’s ever broken their friendship, and the things he was forced to do while controlled… well… the fact that Cecil had forgiven even those things says something about his loyalty. “My best friend is also my fiercest rival, or at least I tend to see it that way. I’m pretty sure he’d rather we cooperate more often, though.”

“That sounds familiar,” Kain says with a bit of fondness in his tone, he misses his friends, misses the old days with them especially. “I used to pick on my best friend as a child. I’m surprised he could tolerate me, but, well, eventually you grow up and out of all of that. Those bonds, though… sometimes they’re truly all we have…” And perhaps the only way to cast out the darkness, he thinks, considering that idea more closely.

"That's how Ron tends to view Harry sometimes," Hermione notes with a gentle smile. "Perhaps the two of you are more alike than one might think. I hope not, though. I could do without having someone so quick to anger around here." Plus, no one can really replace Ron, in her mind.

"We can always make new bonds, though," she remarks quietly. "Not that those replace the old ones, but that can certainly help us cope with the new experiences. Like being stuck here. Fancy dress parties aside."

"It sounds as if we may be similar in some regards... Though I'm not so tempestuous." At least, not outwardly. He's more the type to hold it all in, to seethe until it very gradually blows up. He's tried to be better about expressing himself, not letting things build up until it's too late, but well... it takes time.

Kain nods agreement. "I'm not so sure I'll ever be fond of formal parties, but... at least I can do something about those new bonds."

"You don't seem like it," she agrees. "In some ways... well, I can't say I don't miss him, but I'm glad he isn't in Thedas. He probably could have sparked another war all on his own, or at least made things more difficult for the rifters." Especially since he'd finally begun to learn why elf rights were important.

"You mean hide away in a corner with them so no one asks you for an awkward dance?" Hermione asks, cracking a wry smile. "Or is that just me?"

“I don’t blame you for thinking that. I know someone with the same sort of temperament, very prone to excitement and anger, various outbursts… he wouldn’t do well here, although the rogue fighting style would interest him.” Kain thinks about Edge and how badly he’d fit in, in Thedas. He’s the sort to recklessly say things and around these people… well… that could have awful consequences.

Kain gives a smirk. “At royal balls, the corners were my favorite spots, I got to know them intimately.” He had reasons of course, beyond avoiding awkwardness, he just needed to be away from seeing his friends and getting jealous of them all over again.

With a short laugh that almost sounds like something of a sarcastic snort, Hermione asks, "Oh? Is your friend a ginger, too? Because I think that's a stereotypically common trait for them."

Her smile goes just a little bit muted as she reminisced, saying, "I never went to anything like a royal ball. We had a few parties, mostly for special occasions, but the grandest thing I've been to before tonight was the Yule Ball. I was lucky enough to have a date and he kept me company throughout most of the night, but-... well, I was young, and admittedly not nearly as clever as I'd thought I was at the time, so the night ended with an argument with my best friend and so I was a bit soured to the whole idea. Hiding in corners might just be my best resort when I don't have anyone that could pass for a proper escort."

Shaking his head, Kain replies, “No, he’s not, unfortunately, or he might have fit well among them. He certainly has the fire and the temper though.” Which made him frustrating to travel with, but funny enough right now, Kain wouldn’t mind seeing him again.

That definitely sounds like a disaster of a ball, and Kain can only sympathize. “Sorry to hear it turned out so terribly. Thinking back, my least pleasant memories of such events… all occurred when I was a young teenager. Everyone is prone to foolishness at such an age.” So many balls, all with Rosa and Cecil dancing and holding hands and laughing and kissing and… Sigh. Kain of course was happy when Rosa was up for a dance with him, but in the back of his mind, he’d always know she was waiting to return to Cecil. “It’s easier in some ways here, at least it’s not completely filled with people we know all that well…” It’s still the sort of thing where it’s best to make a good impression, but still...

Hermione could only smile fondly at the thought of Kain's friend having the temperament of a ginger, and also at the fact that that stereotype was so universal that it had found its way to various worlds. It isn't always true, she knows, just like any other generalization, but she can't deny that the Weasleys are an exceptionally passionate family.

"People shouldn't be allowed to socialize without adult supervision from about age thirteen to sixteen," she murmurs softly. "But then, I'm sure I'll broaden that scope to include nineteen in just a few more years. Perhaps we're just never as mature as we'd like to believe." Looking out at the sea of unfamiliar faces - most of them covered in masks - Hermione frowns and mentions, "I'd still prefer at least a few friendly faces over a legion of gilded strangers."

For not the first time, Kain wonders how Edge would fare in this world... how any of his friends might do, really, if they suddenly found themselves here. For one thing, it would be great to see them again, but he knows they all have important duties they can't really just leave behind... it would be harder on them for that reason.

Kain gives a dry laugh at that. "It's all too true. I dread to think back to those years, for the most part. Though... you may be right about that, who knows how we'll think in a matter of a few years..." Kain glances off into the masks, the noblepeple dancing and mingling. "Likewise."

Hermione knows that Ron and Harry have their own responsibilities, but really, they're more likely than not going mad over worry, since they must have received word of her being missing by now. She feels bad for that, but she also feels bad that her last year at Hogwarts keeps getting postponed, either because of war or because of certain inexplicable rifts in space and time.

"In a few years, we'll look back on ourselves as we are now and wonder why we said this or didn't do that or felt a particular way about something that was no big deal at all. Though I hardly think that lat one applies when it comes to being stranded in an entirely new world." Shrugging a bit, she adds, "At least, that's just how my mind works when I sit with it alone for too long."

Being stranded in a new world is something else entirely, he definitely has to agree there. The last one he’d ended up in had been nothing but endless war… he really does wonder what’s happened, what’s become of Cecil and the others, whether they’ve finally succeeded. Would Cecil have returned home by now?

“True enough. Being in a new world also forces us to do things differently at times, perhaps react to things we never would have encountered back home…” There may be similarities here and there, but the differences are striking enough that he’s found himself unsure or surprised by things he’s seen or heard.

"I've come across people here who've never heard of magic," Hermione murmurs. "Which doesn't necessarily mean there's no magic in their world, just that they've never heard of it. I can't imagine what my reaction to Thedas would have been like if I'd ended up here and have never seen Dark creatures or watched people cast spells. I would probably still be in shock."

Granted, she's still a little taken aback at the thought of demons, but she's learned to cope with it easily enough so long as she never has to actually experience them ever again.

It’s still an odd thing, magic is just such a normal part of the world he lives in, that thinking of it not existing is almost unheard of, in a way. “Right, it may well be hidden the way it is in your world. Who can know for certain? But I’d definitely feel the same if I weren’t already aware of it. It must be overwhelming for those people. It’s hard enough being in another world, after all.”

There’s an adjustment, a strangeness of a culture that’s not like home. It gets better, of course, but it’ll never quite feel like home, not really.

"Culture shock doesn't even begin to explain it," Hermione sighs. Pausing for a moment, she shakes her head and adds, "Sorry. I keep bringing up rather depressing topics of conversation. Maybe I've fulfilled my mingling quota and can go back to the library by now. If no one stops me between here and there, that is."

Smiling up at Kain, she asks, "Unless you'd like to keep talking?"

"It's no problem at all. It seems that we can't help it going in that direction." Kain himself has never been the most upbeat or cheery, so he completely understands why such topics happen. As for culture shock... yes, it's definitely stronger and goes far deeper than he might have expected. On the surface, the world seems so much like his own. But it's surprisingly different.

"And I've liked talking with you so far." In this kind of setting, it's good to have found someone to spend some time with. He'll still probably depart early if he can manage, but she's made the evening more bearable.

Even when it comes to the people she's gotten along with, it comes as something of a surprise to hear anyone say that they've enjoyed talking with her. She tends to ask too many questions or assume too many things or makes too many comparisons. So while it's a bit surprising, Hermione also genuinely appreciates the comment.

"I've enjoyed talking to you, too," she replies, giving him a small smile. "It's nice to find people who can accept you despite the differences between you. It sounds like that's not something that's easy to come by in this world, so I suppose it only makes sense that it would be easier to come by between rifters."

If he were ever uncomfortable with her questions, Kain definitely wouldn’t have answered, probably would have grumpily left. But what she’s asked hasn’t been the uncomfortable sort of prying, and the only topic that they’d discussed that wasn’t so great had really come up from himself.

“Agreed. We understand being displaced from home… it’s one commonality that links us all together.” No matter where they may come from, how much their various worlds might differ. It makes it easier to be here, knowing others who are in this position. Together, they can bear it.

Smiling gently, Hermione considered the crowd of gilded masks and extravagant wardrobes all around her, and decided that Kain was probably the better company. She might be called away before too long, after all, given that she was Adelaide's personal aide and might be asked to socialize besides her, but for now, she's content enough where it is.

"I wouldn't mind staying here and chatting for a little while longer, then, if you'll have me. At least I know you're not sneering at me behind a mask."

It's the oddest thing, how familiar and strange alike it all feels at once. The people and their customs are just so foreign even though the whole concept of such a ball is entirely the same as it would be back home. He wonders if they're going about the same things even now, if Cecil and Rosa are still having such events. Probably.

"I'd like that," Kain agrees, as he takes a glance around the room. "It's a good distraction, after all." Something to make the night pass by all the faster, he thinks.

Human nature - or, at least, the nature of sentient beings - doesn't seem to change much, despite the differences in culture. There are just enough dissimilarities to make it so Hermione doesn't forget she's a stranger in a strange land, but at least she's still able to recognize enough of the world around her to be able to function relatively well within it. Even if people are frighteningly hostile towards mages and even rifters.

"I've never been called a distraction before," she remarks with a small laugh.

Kain gives a smirk to that. “There’s a first time for everything. But really, it’s been much better talking with someone other than these nobles… I’m much more at ease.”

Sure, being here, showing them that they’re all just regular people and not demons… that’s important, and the main reason he’d bothered to come. But in the end of the day, they all act and talk like nobles anywhere, some things really don’t change no matter the world. He’s dealt with enough of their kind.

"... I'm glad to hear that," she remarks, noting that Kain does seem a little more relaxed now than he had when she'd first come across him that evening. Granted, she'd thought he was some sort of noble behind that mask, so her perception might have been slightly skewed, but he doesn't seem like the sort to relax often in general.

"Would you like to go get a drink or some food? Sometimes staying in one place for too long at one of these things gives off the impression that you're waiting for someone to come by and ask you for a dance. I've learned that from experience."

It probably doesn't help that Kain is sort of used to these events, knows how to act and stand and so forth, so he blends in really well, especially when he adds that mask. It's more a longtime habit than any conscious effort, though.

"Actually... that's not a bad idea. I've been meaning to see whether or not the food is any good... and at least drinks can't be ruined. Shall we?" Kain gestures over toward the refreshments area.

Hermione can blend in with high society too, if she needs to. It's just that high society in Thedas isn't quite what it is back home, and so she'd hate to put on airs when she might end up committing some sort of societal faux pas.

Chuckling softly and moving towards the refreshment table by way of her answer, she tells Kain, "If you think drinks can't be ruined, then you've been fortunate enough to never taste anything infused with gurdyroot. It's so vile that I'll actually be quite happy if that plant doesn't exist here, and if it goes extinct back home."

At leas they'll be able to blend in enough to make it through the rest of the night... or so Kain hopes. So far, it hasn't been as bad as he'd feared, though. Maybe it really does help finding the right company.

"I've never heard of such a thing, but I think I should be glad that I haven't." From the sound of it, it doesn't sound entirely... edible, or what he would consider as such.

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