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

[theproperglove]

Josephine's brows knit in confusion as she fails to follow Jamie's train of thought. Surely the best way to avoid running out is to simply stop eating the little cakes, a task that would not be difficult for either of them. "A distraction? What did you mean?"

[wontforgetyou]

Not eating them would certainly be the easiest way to make sure the cakes are still around, true, but that's not quite what Jamie's aiming for in this case. The whole notion of a distraction is simply an excuse for him to give her a rather mischievous grin before offering out a hand.

"Well, what I was thinking that you've set up a very nice space for some dancing, and that you're not getting much of a chance to use it. And I was thinking that maybe if you've a few minutes to spare, I'd be happy to help out with that too. If you'd like to dance with me, that is."

[theproperglove]

Josephine lets out a little gasp of surprise before she can quite help herself. She has been so consumed with the planning of the soiree that she had given little consideration to her own personal enjoyment of the night's events. She casts a quick glance back over her shoulder as though she half expects the room to have burst into chaos in these last few unobserved moments, but when everything remains calm, she returns her attention to Jamie.

"I... truly? You mean it?" She eyes Jamie's hand as though not entirely certain he isn't playing some type of elaborate practical joke.

[wontforgetyou]

There's a part of him that wonders that she seems so surprised by that - there are other people here who must want to dance with her, surely. But at the same time that gasp is actually quite charming, and he finds himself smiling more warmly back at her even as he wiggles his fingers as invitingly as he can.

"I'd not have asked if I'd not meant it, you know. Aye, maybe you've got a lot of things that you need to keep an eye on, and I'll not complain if you do that while we're dancing. But it seems to me you deserve to have a few moments where you can enjoy yourself too, and dancing's a good way to do that. Better than those cakes."

[theproperglove]

Josephine's mouth curls into a slight smile at Jamie's insistence, and then, after a moment's more hesitation, she grasps his hand in her own. "Shall we?" she asks as the song that's playing draws to a close. "Is the dancing very different where you're from?"

[wontforgetyou]

"Aye, let's."

His smile stretches a bit wider for a moment or two as he leads her out to the area that's been set aside for dancing, taking advantage of a spot that's recently been vacated by another pair of dancers. As he turns to face her, he extends his arm outward and brings his other hand up so it'll rest in place on her shoulderblade, so long as she'll allow it.

"Now I don't know if they've anything like the Highland Fling in Starkhaven, but there's a fair few other dances I think are the same. Like yon waltz, here, and some of the reels, although I saw something people were doing earlier over here that I wasn't able to make heads or tales of. Do the Orlesians have a lot of complicated dances like that, then?"