Comfort and Joy

[simplestgift]

Who: Come one, come all! ...So long as you're appropriately dressed.
What: Luceti's second annual Christmas ball, old-world style.
When: December 1st, beginning around five in the afternoon and ending when the last person leaves.
Where: The Battle Dome.
Summary: Earth's eighteenth-century peeps are throwing one hell of a party. Again.
Rating: Well, considering no one is serving water? Probably PG-13 for alcohol consumption and the results thereof (there's coffee and hot chocolate!).

Upon stepping into the program at the Battle Dome, snow crunches beneath your feet. Great flakes of it drift silently from the dark sky above. And ahead...





The chill in the air is penetrated by the promise of warmth and light within the castle. As you approach, the music and festivities from inside reach your ears--tambourines and laughter and the clink of china dishes.

The doors open to a host of candles and a warm, old-world smell and feel. The scent of food and spices hangs in the air—mulled wine, wassail, evergreen boughs, fresh bread and roast meat--and you're only in the entryway.

Inside the dining room, cream brocades, simple but elegant, are draped over the walls. Traditional red rugs have been thrown over the floor. The single long feast table is impeccably dressed with light linen cloths and set with fine china and crystal.

The tables are lit with candles and chandeliers, giving the room a golden glow. On the tables, boughs of evergreen and holly surround the candles, and mistletoe has been hung discreetly here and there. In one corner, by a large and beautifully decorated fir tree (Buffy’s insistence), musicians are set up to play.

Things will begin with a grand dinner late in the afternoon, with a light supper (mostly consisting of cold meats, bread, and other lighter fare) at around nine o’clock. The selection of food on the tables is enormous. Most of it is meat-based and some of it is simply meat. Roast beef with mushrooms, goose in giblet gravy, herbed chicken, baked salmon, and a whole pig are among the choices. There is some hope for vegetarians, though, with spinach mixed with bread crumbs and cheese on small toasts, turnips (or rutabagas if you speak American), onions, carrots, parsnips, mashed potatoes, asparagus in breadcrumbs, and savory onion and wild mushroom pies. There is hot fresh bread and rolls with butter and heaps upon heaps of small mince pies filled with fruit, molasses, and yes, a little minced lamb. Moreover, there are fresh winter fruits like oranges and mikans and many different desserts, such as Christmas pudding, a rum chocolate dessert, and spotted dog with custard. Sit and help yourself.

Among the drinks throughout the evening are wassail, tea, hot chocolate (less sweet and much more intense than most modern characters would be used to, made with cinnamon, vanilla, and a hint of cayenne pepper), coffee, brandy, wine both mulled and plain, port, sherry, and gallons of rum punch. Even though the food is fantastic, the conversation is the point of the game, and who knows who they will wind up sitting beside. At the center of each table is placed a pineapple as a sign of welcome and wishes of prosperity.

In the ballroom, there is dancing light as the music itself, with Archie Kennedy and Elizabeth Swann teaching the steps of each dance before striking up the music and letting everyone go to town with it. They are poised and elegant but relaxed and seeming to glide as they demonstrate the motions with an effortlessness that comes with years of practice. They were both raised on these dances and this sort of social function and seem completely at home here. The dancing begins after dinner with the minuets and continues after a light supper with some informal English country dances. Anyone unused to dancing like this may find that it’s harder than it looks, but when one gets used to it, it feels very graceful, beautiful, and…fun! In fact, it's perfectly acceptable to goof off during these dances, as long as you're charming enough that people aren't irritated with you when you mess everyone up. The activity will only end when there are too few dancers left to continue, and will continue all night if possible. As dancers pass each other or move hand-in-hand, eye contact can be made, quiet words exchanged, subtle (or not) messages passed as they spin through the room, or perhaps the room spins while they remain still.

It might depend on how much they’ve had to drink.

Those who do not wish to dance have other activities to participate in. In one quiet room, card tables are set up with multiple decks of cards stacked up, and there is even a box or two of dominoes and a handful of dice. The tables themselves are round and made of polished rosewood or mahogany. This area is quietly away from the ballroom, probably as a mercy to the tone-deaf Horatio Hornblower who loves cards but can’t abide music. Here, discreet (or indiscreet) gambling is inevitable. There may be no money here, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to wager.

This being a castle, there are other rooms to explore. Up in the towers are bedrooms, nooks and crannies, and a large private library. Sneaking back to the kitchen between meals for a preview or stolen taste of supper to come is not out of the question, either.

Are you lingering in the dining room, drinking and talking loud and laughing with friends, or will you shyly sit and watch the dancing and games and hope to be invited in? Are you sitting quietly alone and listening to the music as your foot taps on its own, or are you unable to sit still and ready to dance all night if they’ll let you? Are you playing cards with a few new acquaintances, or are you hanging on someone’s arm and helping them cheat? Are you content to enjoy the presence of people, or are you exploring the castle with a special someone?

Whatever you do, have fun.

Comments

[ex_tessen852]

Well, you look very, ummmm... what did they say there? you're the bee's knees?

[savedtheworld]

Yeah! That was one of the words they used! Heh, I'm starting to forget it already... But you look very keen yourself, Suki! Are you and Sokka having a good time?

[ex_tessen852]

[She just laughed.]

Um, yeah. [She thinks they are.] He looks really handsome, just a bit different from everyone else.

[savedtheworld]

Yeah, something's kind of weird about his clothes. But he's a super sillyhead. You should still make sure to get lots of dances with him!

[ex_tessen852]

[Did Aang just call Sokka a... sillyhead? Suki just laughed.]

I'll try. But it would be an honor if I could dance with the Avatar.

[savedtheworld]

It's a good thing the Avatar has an open schedule for dancing of all kinds! And just between you and me, he thinks it's an even bigger honor to dance with the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors. [He says as he holds out a hand for her. Don't worry Suki, this one won't require dodging kicks to the face.]

[ex_tessen852]

[Aang, you certainly know how to make a girl blush~

She'll happily take his hand though.] How about it's an honor for us both then?

[savedtheworld]

That sounds great, Suki. The more honor, the better!

[And he guides her to the dance floor.]

[ex_tessen852]

Okay. You'll have to forgive me. I'm not much of a dancer.

[savedtheworld]

Don't worry. It's not so hard. In some ways, dancing's like doing fighting stances without the fighting part! [As they reach the dance floor, he grabs onto her other hand to begin dancing, with a joking grin.] Just make sure your instincts don't take over and throw me!

[ex_tessen852]

Only if you step on my toes. [She chuckled as she followed his lead.] But, let's not do anything too fancy. I still don't know what I'm doing.

[savedtheworld]

Sure. Something light and easy to help you get the hang of things. [And he starts to guide her in tune with the music with some smooth, easy-to-follow movements.] By the time we're done? You'll be ready to sweep Sokka right off his feet!

[ex_tessen852]

I think I already know how to sweep him off his feet. I want him to stay on his feet this time.

[savedtheworld]

Then what are we doing dancing? We should be getting you some glue!

[ex_tessen852]

And give up my chance to dance with the Avatar? No. I think I'd rather stay here.

[savedtheworld]

Hey, I'm a Avatar. But I appreciate it. Just make sure you warn yourself that you may be in for some twirls soon!

[ex_tessen852]

I'll try not to let you down then. [And try not to embarrass herself in the process.]

[savedtheworld]

I knew I could trust a Kyoshi Warrior to always be prepared. [And he'll soon give her a quick twirl, surrounded with a gust of air.]

[ex_tessen852]

[Not gonna lie, but that made Suki feel like a little kid, so she couldn't help but laugh. The added wind was an added plus.]

Showing off?

[savedtheworld]

I don't know what you're talking about. I'm a humble monk.

[ex_tessen852]

Oh, of course. I would never expect you to show off ever. It wasn't like you showed off to everyone on Kyoshi Island.

[savedtheworld]

I was just giving them what they wanted to see! [And what he had been hoping that Katara wanted to see. It was kind of weird, to remember things back then.]

[ex_tessen852]

And they never stopped talking about you. Koko is probably still in love with you.

[savedtheworld]

W-wait, love-love? [He turns red.] But I- She's...

[ex_tessen852]

[STARING.]

Don't worry, Aang. She just idolizes you. You did save the world, after all.