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

"My Lady Rutherford."

Is Katniss's bright response, when she finally finds Mia. She dips down into a deep curtsy, and as she does the corners of her gown flash out faint green and gold fire, before settling again as she straightens. Not a person is singed, and the effect is noted.

She nods to the party, "Please tell me you've eaten one of everything. Except those mushroom things."

Mia's eyebrows hike upwards at the display. Magic, in her tailoring? A bold choice. But Katniss has never been very shy or retiring, had she?

"Well that's quite the spectacle," she murmurs, before reaching to clasp the young woman's hands. "Ah, but you're looking lovely this evening. Has my brother happened to see you yet?"

At the mention of food, she nods, her hands falling primly to rest in front of her. "I've had a bit. I was warned away from the deep mushroom, thankfully. I'll never understand Orlesian cuisine."

Katniss hadn't expected it, but it gave her the right kind of attention she needed to start pumping the nobility for money for the refugees and soldiers. By the Creators, if she could raise gold to build new structures by setting herself on fire, she would.

She squeezed Mia's hands in turn, "Just wait until you see me dance." At her question, Katniss flushes with pleasure at the memory, "Your brother is my escort, and you'll be pleased to know his response was a very nice, dazed stare."

She folded her hands in front of her, before she nodded her head firmly, "Yes. Good. Honestly they're eating poison ... anyways, try the eclairs. I'm trying to figure out if I can sneak any out for the children... but this dress has no pockets to hide them."

"I'll see if I can't mention something to the cooks," she murmurs in reply with a sideways glance. She's in the kitchen so often that it wouldn't be hard to press a few servants into sneaking out a few treats. "They surely can't eat all of them."

Clearing her throat, she straightens. Obviously plans for re-appropriating the food can wait until later.

"But tell me, how have you been, dear? It seems we've only gotten to see each other in passing, lately."

"Oh, bless you, Mia. The children will adore them, and you. Not that they don't already." Katniss stated firmly, her smile flickering around the corner.

She slides to Mia's side, so they can both watch the spectacle, and Katniss offers her arm so Mia can tuck hers within.

"Busy, to be honest. I've been working hard to try to raise funds and support for building more permanent living structures for the refugees and the soldiers. Tonight is sort of the culmination of my efforts. Beyond training myself, training the wolf pup ... Oh! I found a wolf pup in the forest. You shall have to come and see him." A light flashes through Katniss's eyes, before she remembers where she is and schools her expression once more. "And of course, sneaking time in to see your brother. That's a mission within itself."

She looked over at Mia, a real smile on her lips, "But I haven't seen much of you either ... what have you been up to?"

"A wolf? And you're planning on keeping him in the keep?" Mia's eyes grow a little wider at that, brow furrowing. That's a worrisome notion, with children about the place. But the subject shifts for a moment, and the look of shock drops for a half a moment.

"Oh, more of the same. We've had one surprise after another, and naturally attention is drawn to the squeaky wheel. But I'll say that we're better supplied than we have been in the past, and we've heard fewer complaints. Whether or not that's because people are terrified or not is another matter entirely," she adds, wryly.

"But we do what we must, don't we? Now, before I asked about fund-raising, tell me again about this wolf?"

"Yes, well, there's a good reason behind that ... " Katniss trails off for a moment, because it's sort of a grim tale to be telling at a party. She scrambles to think of how to phrase it for over-reaching ears.

"Well, better that there's more to go around. Even if it was complaining." Her smile twists a little bit at that, before she shakes her head a little bit.

"It's not a full grown wolf, Mia. Just a pup, right now. I found him in the woods -- the rest of his family didn't survive the winter." There, tactful enough. "I'm training him as a ... well, companion of sorts."

"Oh, Katniss."

Mia gives her a look at that, shaking her head. "Pups are very cute, I'll grant you. But they don't stay pups forever. A wolf is not a dog. And eventually, it'll realize that, no matter what you teach it. You do know that, yes?"

Hopefully she's thought this through, she thinks. But best to hear her out before drawing any premature conclusions.

"Actually, there are training methods dating back hundreds of years. I've found some accounts of them ... " She pauses, and lowers her voice appropriately, "Men and women, called rangers, train wild animals to follow them out of loyalty. Sooner or later I'll let him back in the wild, but if I need his help then I will be able to call for it."

She lowered her voice even further, "It comes from the Emerald Knight training - they all had wolf companions."

"So he'll live outside the keep."

That's a relief, at least. Too much trouble for a wild animal to be able to get up to, once they got of an age. Perhaps the ancient elves had some strange method of controlling the beasts, and Katniss had tapped into such a power...

But it was still worrisome. They already had enough unpredictable elements living within range of Skyhold as it was.

She nodded, "Once he's about a year old. That's typically when wolves start hunting out on their own. Hopefully he'll be able to join another pack outside of Skyhold, and if not I'll be pack while he lives out in the woods."

Katniss, for one of the few times this evening, was speaking seriously about something without flashing one of her oh-so-charming smiles.

"The more I'm learning of this ranger's path is that rangers could in fact create a bond with a creature. For the elves it was mostly wolves, for the Avvar they tend to connect more strongly with bears. Some rangers have even created a bond with giant spiders, if you can believe it."

"I think that's an imagine I can live without," Mia replies with a slightly strained look, before shaking her head. Whatever happened to just having a dog, or a cat, or a horse?

"Well, I hope it goes well for you. That's a lot of responsibility on top of everything else you're trying to do. Don't stretch yourself too thin, now." There's a crease of worry in her brow that by now should be fairly familiar.

Katniss bit her lower lip, before she cleared her throat. "I'll be happy to keep him out of trouble, and away from everyone else." She did already have a cat and a horse ... wolves were sort of like dogs, right?

"I know." She sighed, looking out across the dance floor, before she looked back at Mia. "But I know people would have done the same for me."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Truth or Dare: The Imperial Court

Re: Mia | OTA

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject