Truth or Dare: The Imperial Court

[madame_de_fer]

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.

Comments

lace harding. ota

[lacere]

The leader of the scouts goes, as is expected of her. It's also not entirely unexpected for her to arrive with Bruce (even though it wouldn't be unfair to say she was dragging him into the fray, if she had to go, so did he). Her gown, however? It could be. Never has she needed to dress to impress - bandits, rogue templars and rebel mages, none really had an appreciation for that kind of thing - but impress she was. Where the gown had come from was another matter, as none had seen her approach a tailor of any kind. Some scouts nurse their pride and loss of coin over betting she would arrive in armour, but some seem jovial as despite the dress, the lace, the flower motif... Harding is still wearing cracked leather boots thick with mud. Really, though. What else would she wear?

( MINGLING )
Though Scout Harding isn't one to get flustered by much, she does get a little lost whilst talking to the nobles, though she tries. She pretties up the scouts, gets them on side, and yet, niceties? Aimless circular questions? Apparent falseness? Not so good. Her current conversation partner doesn't seem to be a fan of the straightforward bluntness, though. Help a girl out, here?

( DANCING: FOR BRUCE )
[It's not the first dance of the evening but it is her first dance. Which she hasn't had, yet, and her date hasn't asked. They've arrived, settled in at some chairs along the wall. The wine isn't bad. But there's a lack of, well, dancing. And she likes dancing.

Several songs go by and as the musicians pause then change direction once again, Harding mentions it.] Bruce. [She straightens a little in her chair, placing the empty glass on a well-timed tray offered by one of the kitchen staff.] Would you dance with me? [And, an afterthought.] Not just for appearances.

( DANCING )
It seems that Scout Harding can dance, and well. Though her conversation left something to be desired, nobles that had dismissed her as a dwarf have renewed interest as she instructs one of the younger ladies how to waltz. Maybe you should get in line for a dance with her. There's one forming.

( WEIRDNESS, ETC )
Those with keen eyes may notice her speaking in hushed tones to some of the scouts throughout the evening, most of them dressed in normal armour, before hurrying them along back into the shadows. Towards the end of the evening, she's absent. How strange.

( OR SOMETHING ELSE? )

Dancing

[gatheringstorm]

While blessedly free of any nobles seeking to ask her about 'the savage Qunari' or asking to touch her horns, Korrin makes her way over to watch Harding's instructions. Her lips curve in a smile, glad to see the dwarven woman more in her element than making idle conversation with snooty nobles. And while the Vashoth woman can mange some simple steps, she doubts her own grace matches Harding's own. That keeps her from joining the line, but perhaps she'll change her mind after more observing or catch Harding when she's taking a break.

[lacere]

The lady she's currently instructed certainly seems delighted, and charmed, as the dwarf that barely comes up to her middle flashes her a winning smile. One that's for encouragment, but one that could also make Orlesian ladies swoon, were they not so happy for their dance partner. "You're doing fine," Harding says, despite the protests that surely, she is just saying that. "And I also think you're ready to ask that gentleman caller to dance, if you wanted to. He's still looking."

It takes a few minutes, and a bit more persuasion and another dance partner on Harding's behalf, but the lady uses all her wits to invite herself into a dance, and she doesn't step on his feet. Not for the first twenty seconds, at least, but he doesn't toss her aside. Harding smiles as she bows to her current partner, song over, and though the line's still there, she sees Korrin, makes her apologies, and walks over to the qunari woman.

"You look very nice," she says, honestly. "How it's been? Not too bad?"

[gatheringstorm]

"As do you, Scout Harding." Korrin nods with a warm smile, glad to see a friendly face in a sea of Orlesian snobbery. "You know, the usual. Dodging stupid questions, pretending not to notice the scandalized looks, making jaws drop whenever I rise above that extremely low bar set by quoting the Chant of Light or proving that I can navigate a waltz. I can't say I have your skill, though. No wonder people have been lining up."

Mingling

[the_effect_she_has]

Uh oh. Apparently Lace hadn't taken the Zevran Arainai refresher course on how to lie with your entire face. Now note, Katniss was still a damned rookie herself, but she managed to slip in next to her friend and offer her commanding officer a smile, and a brighter one for the Comtesse Farjeon.

"There you are, Harding! I've been looking all over for you with your punch ... oh, good evening again, Comtesse. I apologize for interrupting - what precisely was I interrupting?"

[lacere]

Her face, on its own, could have been fine. She was smiling, even if it were more of a grimace, and her words faltered as she tried, again, to get a word in edgewise - trying to get her back to any of her long and dull stories rather than what she was adamant to discuss.

"My opinion of the Ferelden guests," Harding says shortly, and though the grimace becomes a smile for Katniss, it's gone in seconds. Then she realises she spoke before the Comtesse could, as she clicks her tongue, and Harding adds, "is that correct, Comtesse?" for good measure, to which she nods.

The comtesse seemed to believe she would have something to say, being Ferelden. A dwarf, but Ferelden. What to say exactly was the problem here; too much room for offense on all sides.

[the_effect_she_has]

Katniss slipped Harding a faint wink, as she leaned down to hand her friend a glass of punch, before she put that smile on for the Comtesse.

"Well, then she must know already that as members of the Inquisition ... we don't see countries that way any longer. We see ourselves as Thedas, united, against a common enemy. One rather terrifying common enemy, at that." She smiled brighter, before she looked at Harding, "You've seen the foe we're facing, haven't you, Lead Scout?"

/arrives seven days later with thedasbucks

[amygdalae]

[Bruce definitively feels like he doesn't belong in this place, and it pretty much shows. He's in a rather decent outfit and after a bit of gussing up he looks not bad at all... except for the constant expression of uncertainty on his face.

This is really not what he signed up for.

When Harding actually calls him Bruce jerks a little, surprised, and luckily the glass of water he had been holding was nearly empty because he might have spilled some otherwise.]

Oh, ah--a dance? [He sort of echoes it back dumbly, blinking owlishly at her.]

weirdness/something else;

[foxsays]

If the scouts have spotted a certain rifter disappearing from the party at odd moments, then that could maybe be forgiven; parties are loud at the best of times and with a hand that marks her so easily, Araceli has been subject to being grabbed and examined more than once. Her gown certainly marks her out just as much as the hand though at least her curls are artfully arranged and out of her face.

But it's that she might have been spotted trailing a couple of servants. Unnoticed by them fortunately, but she's frowning when she returns, glancing about the hall almost anxiously one might say. It's how she comes to bump into Harding, quite literally.

"My apologies, how clumsy of me," she says quickly, checking for any damage with an embarrassed smile. "Distracted by how dashing the Baron is tonight." That's a lie, one of them at least is already overly familiar but the show must go on.

[[ooc: since Harding's in on what was mentioned in the plurk, I hope this is okay to bring up?]]

[lifeofendurance]

Little by little, Aleron's been getting used to certain faces around Skyhold with any regularity. Harding just happens to be one of them, possibly due to so few dwarven ladies being present.

He's been propping up the walls most of the evening, stepping in when it seemed a lady was being left neglected for want of a dance partner too long. Such has not been the case for the scout and thus he's left her to the enjoyment of the evening. But his watchfulness has prompted him to notice the frequency with which she's approached for whispered discussions. The man might be lacking in the discernment necessary to register when a hussy of a baroness is flirting with him, but he's been a Seeker too long not to recognize signs of something being afoot. It could well be her work come into play. But if there's a chance for him to actually be useful rather than a mere wall decoration, he'd like to take it.

The Seeker crosses over to Harding with a polite incline of his head in greeting. "My lady, could I prevail upon you for a dance?"