EVENT: The Budehuc Ball

[quicksmart]

(( PART 2 has started! ))

The day of the ball is finally upon Budehuc, and there is a distinctive hum of excitement in the air at new life entering the quiet castle. The evening has just begun, and the weather is fantastically clear outside and still light. All day there has been the hustle and bustle of curious traders flocking to the castle to assess whether it is now a worthy trading place again, and there are many unfamiliar faces walking the castle grounds, exploring. Extensive preparations have been made, directed by none other than Sir Euram Barows himself!

“The ball will be an impressive display of the wealth, ingenuity and importance of the people of...what's this castle called again? Oh right, Budehuc. The theme: Bright new beginnings. Everything must be bright! Spread conversation pieces across the room; sculptures, art, a tapestry or two, that sort of thing. The oppressive grays of the stone need to be polished until they shine, or covered with more aesthetically pleasing tones. There must be a tablecloth, embroidered preferably, on every table and contrasting but matching drapes and flounces on the walls!”

These were the instructions given to the workers, and every detail, word for word, has been carried out… to the best of the workers’ abilities, anyway, because Euram’s vision is quite grandiose and Budehuc has hardly the materials available for such an event! The consequences of such instruction has resulted in Budehuc castle looking fairly colourful for a change, although the alterations appear to only be visible in well-traversed paths that lead to the ex-war room, which has now been transformed into a ballroom. The changes outside of the room include having moved any remaining sculptures and paintings still there from after the war to the front so that they can be seen. 

Opening the door to the war room, however, is like opening the door to another world. It's an assault of color, all of it clashing quite horrendously. There are brightly colored tablecloths, rugs and flounces. If you look closer some of the flounces are in fact bed-sheets because they ran out of material due to the short time frame, and some of those bed-sheets appear to have been painted the appropriate color by the workers, probably to please Euram and get him to shut up.

Still, there are finger foods, fine wine and tankards of ale spread upon the tables at the outer edges of the room and a small band tucked away in the corner playing live music for the dancing guests in the middle. Waiters and waitresses are constantly moving around to set items of food or drinks down and pick up glassware. 

The room is relatively quiet right now, with people sure to be trickling in and out as the night goes on!

(( OOC: Whew! Thank you very much to Junabi for providing an excellent description of the alterations that Euram has made to the castle! This post is basically a mingle post, so thread-jumping and replying to everybody is encouraged! You can start multiple threads wherever you want and everybody can reply to anyone! For re-reference, most people's outfits can be seen here.

Depending on when the first part of the ball slows down, a comment will be posted indicating "PART 2" and then you can play out the events at the conclusion of the night, after the ball has died down! ))

Comments

[nightveil]

[ Roberto seems startled and quickly looks up from his cracker, blinking at -- is that Erin? He looks a bit embarrassed at her words. ]

What, this outfit? ... It's a drag. It's so uncomfortable, I don't know how anyone would expect us to fight in this clothing if somebody attacked, but this was the most comfortable-looking thing I could find.

[ HE'S RAMBLING OUT OF EMBARRASSMENT. He slows down. ]

Y-You look... nice, Erin.

[innkeeper_erin]

*small laughs* Hopefully only party crashers would attack us tonight. And perhaps the drunks.

Thank you! You also look nice!

[nightveil]

Well, you never know.

[ He doesn't think he's ever had a real extended conversation with Erin. ]

Th-thanks.

...

...

[ He stands there awkwardly, and takes a bite out of his cracker to hide his social ineptness. ]

[innkeeper_erin]

You have crumbs on your clothes. *reach her hand out to wipe them away*

[nightveil]

[ oh. god. ]

W-what?

[ His entire body pretty much stiffens up and he just kinda' looks down at his clothes in alarm as he watches her brush them away. ]

Thanks, that... that doesn't usually happen...!

[innkeeper_erin]

You're welcome.

Is this also your first time, Roberto? The ball party?

[nightveil]

Not quite.

[ He fights to regain his composure now, and stands up a little straighter. ]

We had events a little like this when I was with the Blades. We had to learn how to behave and dance, as well as learn how to treat women and men of different standings.

You've never been to something like this before?

[innkeeper_erin]

I've attended wedding parties back in Grayridge, but nothing as fanciful and formal as this. There were even less of them when The Order came...

*She looks a little bit solemn before regaining her smile* Oh! I shouldn't talk about such topic in this occasion. Have you tried the cheese? It's really delicious.

[nightveil]

[ He studies her carefully, forcing a smile himself in order to make her feel better after their conversation touched on that topic. ]

I haven't. Maybe I'll try some with another cracker. Would you like some, Erin?

[ He turns around to the table once again, searching for the food. ]

[innkeeper_erin]

*She wants to refuse out of politeness, but it might actually be rude to refuse him. Thank you, Roberto.

[nightveil]

[ He smiles slightly and hands her one. ]

Do you miss home very much?

[innkeeper_erin]

*receives it with a smile*

I do, but I became less worried since Moana said that she knew a Gateway. I wish we could send letter to our homeworld, though. Dad must be worried with me suddenly gone.

How about you?

[nightveil]

... I really miss it more than I could ever have imagined.

[ He isn't usually this open, but Erin's caught him at a point of momentary weakness. ]

Maybe we can ask Moana if she knows other Wanderers that she could send letters to. Do you think that'd work?

[innkeeper_erin]

There is nothing much to do in Budehuc, isn't it? It feels really quiet without Sieg, too.

If there are other Wanderers, we can just ask them about the nearest Gateway. ...That is not a bad idea, though!

[nightveil]

... That's true.

[ He sighs, having gotten a little too hopeful. ]

Sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood of the ball with this. You should dance with somebody, Erin. Don't let me keep you.

[innkeeper_erin]

A-ah, don't worry. I won't be dancing anytime soon.

[nightveil]

How come?

[innkeeper_erin]

I don't want to embarass myself.

[nightveil]

[ That actually draws a chuckle out of him. ]

Embarrass yourself? I don't think you could if you tried, Erin. You're very graceful.

[innkeeper_erin]

*She blushes slightly at his words.* Thank you. ...Y-you look handsome yourself.

[nightveil]

[ O-oh, he didn't mean it that way, but now that he thinks about it, she is graceful in a fairly attractive way, and now he's also blushing slightly at her words. ]

Th-thanks.

You really deserve to let loose and dance, though. R-really. Don't worry about it.