Ariadne chuckled at Jon's assessment of Ballad,  nodding
"Yesah, she comes off as a bit of an 'old hand' at Shadow and Palace Goings On, though that might just be her laid back personality."

Jade looks at her other two cousins, "Yes, Lance is serving the realm so is now only here from time to time. Ballad, Ballad is more of a free spirit like a leaf in the wind caught but currents and flows I'm not sure she knows where she will end up but always welcome when she arrives."

Sandwyn is happy to geek out over Master Fenton a little, although he does it in a pretty collected way, sharing a story of some feat of bravery of Master Fenton's involving a monster from deep Arden and a duel from a champion from Minos.

Sandwyn is also so interested in the other royals, though he seems a little surprised by the description of Julian's kid. The new generation is absolutely judged by their parentage, as the old generation was before they started making an impression.

He throws in a story about Baronet Arrington, Ariadne's paternal uncle, and that brings everybody to: Lady Lorelay's House. For those who like a Shadow Earth reference, imagine a small chateau or cloister house from the French countryside - such as seen here. There are lights on in most of the windows, twinkling through the long twilight that's juuust beginning, and behind the house is a truly beautiful many-tiered garden fed by the stream that snakes around this property. It looks enchanting, and the carriage drops the four off just at the entrance.

A servant provides information: refreshment in the parlor, concert will be in the garden after. The servant will provide escort, too. Bows are deep, everybody treats the new royals like royalty, you see.

Sandwyn offers Jade his arm with a courteous bow, winking at Jon in a we-shouldn't-all-be-escorting-our-relatives, eh-what? and whether she takes it or not the next stop is the parlor.

They can hear a din of conversation the door is opened for them, laughter and somebody banging on drums in a way that it doesn't take savvy to know means the somebody is probably already tipsy. The parlor has about twenty other people inside it, all dressed gloriously and glittering, lit by candlelight and merriment, a game of something that looks vaguely Jenga-like going on in one corner, cards at a table, a long sideboard with drinks and glasses and circling servants, a lot of pretty glass, and everybody's dressed up for fun but it isn't a formal concert. This is a thoroughly social group of young nobles being chummy, so there's no formal announcement of Ariadne, Jade, Jon, and Sandwyn's entrance, although they'll be noticed almost immediately.

What will they do?


(Y'all, I pause so you can react to the grounds and Imminent Socialization. Gimme an entrance!)

Ariadne listened attentively to Sandwyn's stories, to her uncle, eager for any information on this new extended family she seemed to have, and also to the stories of Master Fenton.  Stories of "daring do" were almost unheard of on Modern Earth, with the only stories of action and adventure she had were the occasional drunken bar fight or a quest for Chinese food at 3 in the morning.   Hearing about Fenton battling monsters, or being in an actual sword duel, was a strangely magical experience.  It was almost more other worldly than anything she'd experienced so far.
And the noble's home didn't disappoint either.  It was beautiful, easily comparable to the Swiss chalets she'd seen in brochures on Earth.  Ari looked around in wonder, though she tried to keep her cool demeanor.   It felt wrong to be a princess but gawk like a tourist (though she still wasn't sure she felt like a princess).

Keeping in mind other galas she'd been to, though she also remembered not particularly liking them, in general, Ari exited the carriage with a calm poise and detached but friendly demeanor to everyone she saw, though her sharp eyes took in everything.

Jade used her message spell to telepathically speak with Jon.

~Jon I think I should take Sandwyn's arm since he invited us all here. I feel bad but it is proper etiquette. You are able to respond telepathically~

~I agree with you.  But this is our unofficial debut, so let's follow proper etiquette.~

Jon gives Sandwyn a smile, a nod to Jade and Sandwyn, then offers Ari his arm.  As he takes in the site.
"This is a beautiful estate." he says quietly and his whole demeaner seems to relaxed a bit.  "This is the type of place, I'd like to have someday."

Jade nods and takes Sandwyn's arm stepping down after the others.
She walked with dignity and grace she knew this could quite possibly raise Sandwyn's standing and keeping that in mind She did her best to make a sweeping entrance all emerald, midnight, and starshine. Bright smiles to the nobles, a bit of gossip for her fellow ladies. A hint of Llewella like mystery.  Just a hint Jade is so not Llewella.

Sandwyn is utterly innocent of any apologies floating over his head, although he does find the way Jade and Jon both stop and Do Nothing Else as they shape those words to be extremely odd (in fact, he gives Ariadne a raised-eyebrow look, like, is this common?). Also finding something odd about the brace of royals, another young noble watching from the downstairs window. The young window noble strokes their chin thoughtfully, but any seeds planted now will take some time to flower...

This, ladies and gentlemen, is a dun dun dun moment, though who knows it? The future knows it!

-

Sweeping entrance is absolutely a go. People stare at Ariadne first; they don't notice how wide-eyed she is with awe. They notice how sharply beautiful she is, how finely drawn. People stare at Jade, who sweeps in with dignified drama; they notice how exquisite she is, sunlight on a sea wave, green as the deeps. They notice Jon too, and murmur. He does look rather like a Faiellan. Some people smile, a bold man lifts a drink in a half-hearted toast, with a deep and somber smile, and some people merely seem to anticipate the fun of raking new people over the coals er that is welcoming them to the fun.

First things first: Lady Lorelay.

Lady Lorelay is pure sizzling energy, a force of nature, a whirlwind. Somehow she manages to be these things in the form of a plump and pretty young woman with very curly blond hair, full lips, a broad nose, freckles, and a dress that is to die for while also being a lot of dress. It isn't tacky! No no. Lady Lorelay is from the Flora school of fashion--cutting edge and perfection, only.

But if one were deciding what muppet Lady Lorelay would be, it wouldn't be very hard to pick.

She has a strident voice, very commanding! Very pretty, too! And she claps her hands (curls bounce), and skips on over to her new guests, "Sandwyn, you've brought me such gifts!! Hello, hello," and she sweeps a curtsy, "I'm so glad to host you three tonight. Make the introductions."

She doesn't exactly snap her fingers at Sandwyn, but basically. He is a good sport and does: "This is Princess Ariadne, daughter of Deirdre," and Princess Ariadne, daughter of Deirdre can see two nearby people particularly perk up. "This is Princess Jade, daughter of Fiona," and Sandwyn pats Jade's hand, and then she's released from his arm. There are more whispers. "And last, this is Prince Jon, son of Prince Eric." Do they imagine a note of warning in Sandwyn's voice?

Lady Lorelay clap clap claps her hands again. "I love this look on you, Sandwyn! Will you and Prince Jon be masculine friends, stomping around with swords? I can't wait to hear of your exploits. And you, ladies, are both ravishing; I had heard, but seeing is another thing entirely. Oh! I do hope you'll feel welcome. Do you like drinks with bubbles in them? I have ever so many drinks with bubbles I can offer you. The concert is beginning soon but there's still time to talk oh! Would you like a tour? Who would like a tour? I'm going to be very selfish and immediately steal you away from my other guests. Do any of you like chickens? I have a very interesting collection of chickens." She beams.

ENERGY. ENERGY. POW POW.

(This would probably be the right moment to give hostess gifts.)

Ariadne is, she would admit to no one later, at a bit of a loss as to what to do or how to react to everything.  One the one hand, acting like an arrogant, unimpressed princess might not win her any friends, but, on the other hand, acting like an enthusiastically impressed visitor might cheapen her in the eyes of the aristocracy.
Luckily, she had some acting experience to fall back on, and did a combination of the two (or rather, something between them, where she was appreciative, but didn't looked at all overwhelmed.

She gave her best "impress the movie investor so he'll give us money" smile to their hostess and nodded to her.
"I would love a tour of your home, Lady Lorelay."
Ariadne's accent seemed to shift to a more formal one, sounding much more like her father, who's accent she learned to imitate (much to his annoyance) at a very young age.
"Your estate looks exquisite from the outside, I'll admit I've rarely seen its equal, and I can't wait to see more.  And while chickens aren't a passion of mine, per se, I'll admit a curiosity to see what kind of animals my new home is capable of producing, with the right expertise."


OOC:  I was presuming that Jon was giving the gifts for all of us, but if not I can edit.

Jon disengages from Ariadne and gives Lady Lorelay a deep formal bow and if she likes takes her hand and gives it a gentle, light kiss "Lady Lorelay, it is our pleasure to join your event tonight.  Thank you for having us." he says with formal and friendly tone.  He then presents the gifts from all three. "My Lady, please accept this simple and humble gifts on our behalf." He smiles and whispers to her "I hope you will forgive any disappoint, as we had precious little notice." and gives her a conspiratorial grin and a wink.  "I agree with Princess Ariadne, a tour would be lovely, but I will defer to Princess Jade." he then turns and looks at Jade.

OOC: unless Jade wishes, we can assume that Jon gave all three.

"I would love a tour, of your lovely home and grounds Lady Lorelay. As you know we have no avians in Rebma so I would love to see your beautiful chickens,  shall  we Sandwyn ? Cousins ?" Jade smiled brightly like coral catching sunlight.

To Ariadne, Lady Lorelay smiles brilliantly, fluttering her lashes Pure Cocquette, and clap-claps her hand again. There’s a certain something knowing about her smile when she says, “Flatterer! But I do know a fair amount about the little fluffballs now, I must own. They can be downright filthy, but I like that about them. Roosters, of course, are monsters.”

She gasps, placing a hand to her rather attention-grabbing decolletage, then gleefully accepts the boxes, sweeping the trio a Very Elegant Curtsy. “How very kind of you all.” She snaps a finger and one of the servants is already taking the boxes away. “I will open them later, after I have already taken a first impression of you all.”

And then Lady Lorelay moves to hook an arm through Jade's, although she doesn't without an indication that this would be acceptable, saying conspiratorially, "Ah! That's right! They say you were raised in Rebma. You must get terribly strong with the tides always tugging at you; I quite exhaust myself after mere moments swimming," she laughs. "We have one of Rebma's aristocrats visiting us here! You must have a little chat later. Sandwyn, come along, it isn't mete for three gorgeous women to only have one chaperone."

Sandwyn gamely comes along, giving Jon an amused look. "If you command it, so it will be," says he.

And Lorelay leads the way, out of the parlor and down the hall.

Jon smiles "Thank you, My Lady." he then steps back.
He falls in behind Jade and the Lady Lorely. He shrugs to Sandwyn and smiles.

Jade smiles brightly and of course accepts Lady Lorelays arm.

"Oh I love to swim and we do tend to grow strong yes. If you have one of my countrymen here of course I would like to speak with them. Now though let's enjoy your tour !"

Jade was feeling like she had found a brand new friend just the brimming energy and excitement of Lady Lorelay made Jade feel happy. She was glad that they had brought gifts.
This message was last edited by the player at 13:22, Fri 21 May 2021.

Trying not to glance more than necessary at the Lady's decolletage,  Ariadne smiled back and joined the group.

Tra-la-la!

Lady Lorelay's energetic bombast continues through the tour. There is one hall, complete with sweeping stair, which has quite a few truly remarkable paintings, including one which she whispers was painted by a Prince of Amber. The painting is of lily pads on water, and glinting beneath the water, the suggestion of a sword's hilt and bone. The painting they've been warned against commenting on is most decidedly there, as well, although they might have trouble picking out which it is exactly--there are a few paintings of women with horses. There's one that is extremely impressive, however, featuring a woman astride a horse (or maybe it's a monster? It's a horse if a storm pretended to be a horse), apparently on a cliff, a valley spread out beyond her. Her eyes are deep rich brown and she seems a merry woman indeed. Many of the paintings seem to be portraits in varying styles, and a family resemblance can be picked out among some of the men--slightly long nose and narrow face, affable gray eyes.

When Lorelay leads everybody to meet the chickens, the chickens immediately swarm and peck at everybody. It doesn't hurt and they don't do much damage, but they are chickens and therefore little monsters. She does collect: many different breeds on display, some fluffy and silly looking, like muppets, some rather small and sleek and speckled, and there's one hen who is the color of molten gold and another hen which is a pale and delicate blue and apparently lays green eggs.

Lorelay introduces everybody to an evil-looking one-eyed rooster named Necropants. She tells them, "We were convinced he was a cockatrice when he started growing, but he wasn't, so we didn't kill him after all. Ill-favored beast, isn't he?"

And chatter chatter chatter...

...and when the tour is done (OOC: Feel free to let me know if there's any part of the manor y'all would have been interested in exploring particularly or any comments y'all might have made, I'll give you some more detail :P) and they're back in the parlor, Lorelay introduces everybody around.

Before the three cousins know it, they have drinks (BUBBLY!) in hand and Lorelay is telling them the concert will start in a quarter of an hour but PLEASE won't they SCATTER instead of staying in a little clump and go say hello to her guests! She shoos the cousins to various people.

OOC: Yr hostess is trying to break you up! For a couple posts, at least. Tell me where you go. Find a specific person or wait for someone else to approach? (i.e., Jade to the Rebman, or Jon to [waits for Lorelay to introduce him somewhere]).

Jon is drawn to the "Storm Lady" painting as they are in the hall.  Without realizing it he moves closer to the painting almost as if he is under a spell.  He examines it in great detail. Absently "This is a remarkable painting." he says in low voice.

He then shakes his head as if clearing out the cobwebs, looks around and blushes slightly a he realized how close he got to the painting.  He quickly moves to catch back up to Jade and the others.

As they get to the chickens "That is an interesting variety of chickens.  I didn't know such a wide range of chickens existed" his tone is genuine and amused.

As they reach the parlor and asked to scatter, Jon whispers "safety in numbers." under his breath.
Jon looks around and thinks ~NOW, I remember why I prefer the woods. The dragons are less deadly than high society~
But as he has mostly this evening, he sorta waits to take his queue from Ari and Jade.

OOC: Does anyone catch Jon's eye or looking his way? He isn't Lance ;) so no one is going to be falling over themselves to be near him. Like are there any Ranger types?  I almost feel like Geralt of Rivia at the Cintra court party :)

Jade messages Jon STAT ~Don't you dare !~ as he get's closer to the painting of Lady astride horse.

Jade smiles brightly, "Oh hey here is some of that wonderous Rebma strength !"
She grabs Jon from behind to prevent a Faux Pas.  Even as Jade is a comedy of Faux Pas.

"See even a Prince of Amber has problems with us ladies of Rebma." a waggling of green brows.

She let's him go of course unless it turns into a wrestling match.

When they got to the chickens Jade was smiling and laughing as they converged on them.
she bent down to pet them. Making comments on the different breeds especially the ones she found funny or exotic.  She was quick to take a liking to Necropants.

When she was back among the nobles, merchant's and concert goers she asked Lady Lorelay where the Rebman merchant might be. That done she makes a bee line for them all smiles like a shark on approach.

Ariadne also feels drawn to the ladies on horseback,  having always enjoyed that look.
Having been practically raised in a museum by her father,  she knows a little about art, and can make a few vaguely intelligent comments about them.
The chickens freak her out a little,  and it's all she can do not to flinch as they swarm around them.  However,  the more exotic ones, unlike anything from earth,  definitely attract her attention.   She pets the furry ones.
"Why, they're....actually kind of adorable,  to be honest "

Later, she's annoyed by the implied "instructions" to mingle,  but is resigned to it, knowing that this visit might very well be as much political as friendly.
Ariadne,  though,  is very much out of her element,  since no one here knew her works on Earth, nor probably shared her interests.
So, by default, she did what she always did at parties when she got bored.

She started looking around for attractive and interesting looking women.    Keeping in mind that she might have more relatives nearby, of course.

Jade sees Ariadne ignoring what happened to Jon and going for the same Faux Pas.

You have got to be kidding me

Jade looks to Sandwyn to stop this one but if he doesn't act she will.

~Thank you.~ he sends back to Jade.  As she wrestles him, he relaxes at bit more as her touch definitely breaks the spell of the painting.
OOC: And now we know the real reason Jon blushed.

Watching Ari and Jade head off in different directions, Jon looks around again.
He stands tall with his hands behind his back, cutting a very regal / military figure as he tries to decide how best to approach the party.

There is probably a shadow where Jon does get to make his comment on the painting and a most dramatic and unenjoyable tragedy spins out from that one social faux pas. But this is True Amber, and Jade stops Jon. Do they wrestle? If they do, they get startled looks from their noble companions; if it is only the one brief grab, it’s still cause for startlement, and (See even a Prince of Amber has problems with us ladies of Rebma) Lorelay smirks. “And I thought usually it was the other way around.”

Sandwyn, meanwhile, looks like he’d rather like it if Jon dropped dead. A second son is gracious when the First ‘wins,’ but not right away. He's examining another painting when Jade looks to him for help with Ariadne, but fortunately Ariadne is in the clear. She's not commenting on the stormhorse painting, only some of the other paintings of ladies with horses. Lorelay seems pleased with all the comments! Delighted at the reception her chickens find! Delighted at Jade's delight with Necropants!! Generally delighted with the company all around! DELIGHT DELIGHT.

--

There are fifteen minutes before the concert. Fifteen minutes to be awkward or to mingle or to both.

Ariadne finds beautiful women aplenty, although none quite as lovely as her relations. C'est la vie. Here are some to choose from, eh? Over by the card table, there's a woman with red hair and a vaguely masculine, tailored outfit--George Sand-esque, a tattoo on her cheek of a sword through a heart. Over in a small group is a beautiful woman with eyes the color of very dark purple grapes and very strong arms studying Ariadne with lazy appraisal, a necklace like feathers around her neck.
Jade finds her countryman easily. This is no merchant: this is a proper nobleman of Moire's court, his aquamarine hair long and braided with pearls; his eyes, the color of a seal's; his dress, somewhat scantier than a true Amber nobleman's would be, with rather more skin showing. Jade has probably seen him before, knows him to be of House Requinoir, whose house sigil is a shark biting through an anchor's chain. They fancy themselves mystics, not usually very interested in the neighboring realm that is Amber.

Jon finds himself alone for one very stressful, very awkward moment. He's not comfortable in a crowd, and there are none that he might automatically peg as a 'ranger type.' Then, why would somebody who works in the forest dress like they work in the forest at a noble party? It takes some assessment.

Sandwyn claps Jon on the shoulder before long. "Come, Prince Jon. As Lorelay has decided we should be 'masculine friends,' let me introduce you to another of Fenton's students," he says, gamely.

17:28, Today: Jade rolled 8 using 2d6 with rolls of 5,3.  Jade -Who is this guy Int.


An inclining of her head on approach to the nobleman of House Requinoir.
"Countryman." she says on nearing him, "How favor the tides with thee ?"

20:00, Today: Jon rolled 6 using 2d6 ((2,4)). - Perception

Jon gives Sandwyn a friend smile, "Indeed." he says non-committedly in response to Lady Lorelay's earlier pronouncement. "Thank you, that would be nice." and he indicates for Sandwyn to lead the way.  Jon follows Sandwyn.

Not wanting to disrupt a card game, Ariadne approached the group with the dark eyed woman.  She gave a practiced seductive smile and nodded.
"I love that necklace.   It's a lovely style.  Is it made in Amber, or lands farther away?"

OOC: 20:17, Today: Ariadne rolled 10 using 2d6 with rolls of 4,6.  Flirtation