RP:The Mage's Guild Commencement Ceremony
This is a Mage's Guild RP.
Summary: The Mage's Guild rewards it's thriving and active members with much anticipated promotions! Larket's darling rage prince makes a new friend of Marco, witch Mayor of Cenril Uma's son, while attempting to play a game of knights and witches. Karasu and Quintessa are cheered on by an excitable Berrentam. Valrae as Grace publicly denounces the Razurathian genocide! Kasyr and Odhranos and Zahrani and crew show their own support for the sentiment. The rest of the event goes off successfully.
Mage Tower
This room is huge, and the entire place is covered in blue and white marble, with many torches and eight pillars reaching up to the ceiling to reinforce the room above, and keep the tower standing. The columns are covered in mystical runes, probably magic to keep the pillars strong, making them able to withstand pressure that normally wouldn't be possible. In the center of the room, there is a spiraling staircase made of glass, and also inscribed with the same type of runes as the pillars, leading to the higher levels of this magical tower. Next to the stairs there is a small desk here with a sign on it. At the top the sign reads... directions for all new mages. There is a door to the south, and you now notice that it too, is covered in the strength giving runes, that leads outside and a door to the west leading to the dormitory, a place for young mages to rest after their studies here.
Valrae || The already grand entrance room to the Mage’s tower has been magically enchanted to not just appear larger, but has actually been made to accommodate the ceremony and hold all of the guild members and guests in attendance. The desk that normally sat near the spiraling glass staircase has been removed for the night’s festivities, instead a short line of crushed indigo velvet chairs are set for the guild members who will be formally honored later in the evening. There is a raised platform, seemingly of the same expansive marble of the room, with a glass podium placed in the center of the stage. Behind it, more of the blue and silver chairs are lined up for the high ranking members of the guild. Tall, ornate candelabras of silver are dressed with fine blue ribbons and bespelled with magelight to illuminate the stage. The rest of the impressive, magically charged room is cast in moody, elegant lowlight. The runes that guard the expansive space are a grand, mystical display of the guild’s collective might. More chairs have been set for fellow guild members, family and friends in neatly lined rows in front of the raised platform. Near the entrance, newly entered apprentices dressed in fine dark robes offer glossy programs and direct to white and blue dressed tables of bubbly drinks and silver platters overflowing with delicate small foods.
Josleen arrives at the ball with her husband King Macon, her son Prince Guillem, her father Provost Kyl'oriel, her mother Jessa, and her arcane cosmetologist Sara Grace. A Xalious native and a daughter of one of the guild's oldest members, Josleen has always had a soft spot for the guild. Her father had always hoped she'd take an interest in the arcane arts and join the guild, but daughters often stray from their father's best laid plans. The ball also presents a rare opportunity for the King and Queen to let down their hair, get a little tipsy, and offload their attention-seeking son on his grandparents. The latter part of the plan is working out beautifully. Guillem walks between his grandparents, holding each of their hands, as Josleen, with her arm looped through Macon's, slows her gait to stretch the distance between herself, and her parents and son. Josleen wears a brocade, off-shoulder emerald gown whose resell value alone could fund Odhranos's research for the next year. Her mother dons an expensive tulle dress, while her father wears imported leather shoes and a matching belt, gifts from their daughter and son-in-law. Sure he smashes witches, but he's such a good family man! Josleen pulls a small package and a card from a clutch purse and hands it to Sara Grace. "A little gift from Macon and I to celebrate your success. Tonight is your night, Sara. You're not on duty. Please enjoy yourself." When Sara opens the gift, she'll find a pair of ever-shimmering, chromatic pearl earrings that are only found off the coast of Chartsend in the spring when the chameleon oysters eat the vernal algae bloom in moonlight. There's also a small handwritten note, 'A brilliant jewel for a brilliant mage. Your contributions to my staff over the past year have been incalculable. I consider you a part of my family. Guillem wanted me to add that he likes your shiny hair. Have a fabulous night. You've earned it." (ooc note: Josleen has no idea that Sara Grace is the reincarnated Valrae in disguise.)
Quintessa was in Vailkrin when she got her letter, dealing with the many administrative duties that had been left to accumulate over the past month or so. She barely had a chance to answer her missive, but when her steward brought the baroness a letter with the Mage's Guild seal on it she postponed everything else to read it. "A promotion?" the young hex blade felt vindicated. After weeks and weeks of hard work she was finally being recognized for her exemplary skills in evocation and the dark arts. "I have to get ready." But what would she wear? Inheriting House Dragana also meant inheriting a mansion filled with the best of Vailkrin fashion throughout the ages. Would she wear something cutting edge? Something vintage? Something modest? Maybe this could be her chance to wear something truly over the top. Either way, Quintessa would keep her servants busy with tailoring and finding the right accessories to go with her dress up until the moment she had her carriage loaded up and ready to leave. The changeling decided to only bring three servants with her. Her skeleton coachman, a zombie bodyguard, and a lovely vampire lass with big green eyes and red hair who had no choice but to listen to Quintessa blather on and on while she sat in the back of the carriage with her mistress. The Baroness and her entourage arrived early to this event so she'd have time to mingle and show off her dress while they waited for the ceremony to begin. Speaking of her dress, Quintessa had decided to go over the top today. Her chrome colored mermaid style gown glistened in the pale light of Arh'Nuk, the entire dress covered in small, silvery plates that were reminiscent of snake scales. Continuing the snake theme, her right arm was adorned with a platinum torc, created in the image of a serpent eating its own tail to symbolize the uroboros. The same treatment was given to the rings on her fingers as she accessorized with little sliver snakes with tiny rubies for eyes and onyx serpentine bracelets that coiled around her wrists and forearms. Even her dangly earrings featured two snakes trying desperately to gain dominion over the other, locked frozen in a forever stalemate. Finally, draped across her delicate shoulders was the enchanted spider-silk shawl that she had worn during the Arh'Nuk Celestial Celebration, the night she had been chosen by the moon. In fact, this whole outfit was meant to honor the Mage Moon and heed the mysterious whispers she had received from it since she had been chosen weeks ago. Those small words of guidance, she felt, had lead her up to this moment.The time being is dedicated to looking for Kasyr and Karasu, both of whom the changeling needed to speak to. Perhaps she'd get the chance before the promotions were started to corner them and subject them her questioning.
Zahrani enters the Mage Tower, clad in a combination of robe and plate armor. Her hood is white with grey trim, contrasting sharply with the black panther head beneath it. Her armor is steel-colored and well-fitted, relatively neutral and inconspicuous in its presentation. An aura of divine energy could be felt by those who brush against her, but to just about everyone else, she looks like simply another battlemage/spellsword. The paladin is joined by two elder felines; a woman with black and silver-flecked fur and shrewd yellow eyes, wearing the robes of a terramancer, and a man with gray beard and fur, clad in a formal Cenrillian garb that men usually wear. Matriarch Roahin and her mate, known colloquially as Bruiser, both from the Isran Collective feline colony, and here to see Karasu at her Guild Commencement.
Macon Is ready for war in what he has made into the uniform for Larket's King. Armed with a great axe and clad in silver armor, he has substituted a marble crown in place of his helm. The Rage Knight hangs back with his wife as the couple allows distance to be made between them and their son. The royal family are not the only prominent Larketians in attendance today as several members of The Hard City's academy of magics have shown up to support their Mage Guild counterparts, as well as headhunt upcoming talent in the field. Headmaster Percival arrives separately from the royals and is very quickly engaged in chats with former students and high ranking guild members alike. The top tier of Kingsguard are on duty today. Wendell was a natural choice to attend with the royal family as he himself is a well regarded mage and the swordsman Roald just seems to always be working. The pair hang way back, standing at attention by the entrance to the tower.
Karasu descends the spiral staircase with a polite smile, despite her pale expression. Things have not been the same since the saurian onslaught, coupled with her accidental stabbing of her best friend. Her eyes stay to the floor as she is lead towards the indigo chairs. Ebizome curls fall in different layers, framing her young face and nearly covering the rounded feline ears on top of her head. To those that know her, it is always an unusual sight to see her dressed so traditionally feminine. Even with the best chromomancers in the Guild’s network, the best anyone could do was fleck the outer rim of her cerise irises with its natural hazel coloring. The dress she wears tonight matches the unusual coloration in her eyes. The bodice of her dress is a black variant that shines with the mulberry coloring of her feline heritage in the low light. An inverted white triangle that starts at the top of the sleeveless bodice dips into a basque waist, flecked with iridescent pearls that appear to be an amaranth color or a hazel green depending on what angle one stands at when they look at Karasu. The same pearls rest at the highest point of her slightly curled iriomote ears, and around her wrists. Said pearls are not actually pearls at all, like the gift given to Sara Grace, but are compressed orichalum and mithril alloys shaped into spheres, a gift from her father Provost Esoterica Kaaname Tsuji. Black and mulberry ruffles fall in layers to her feet. The bottom reveals her white heels in the front, and dips in the back to leave a slight train as she enters the transformed hall. Following at her heels is a red dragon that has attempted human form. The toddler comes up no higher than Karasu’s knees, with comically bright red curls and two pairs of ivory nubs poking out from above his eyebrows and the top of his head. He wears a suit that matches that of both his adoptive mothers, and turns a pretty gemstone he refuses to disclose the origin of over and over in his tiny hands as he follows Karasu around.
Hudson | Uma is here for her friend and confidante Valrae D/B/A Sara Grace, but the official talking point is that she had been invited out of respect for her position as mayor of Cenril. Uma is wearing a simple, one shouldered black gown and a string of pearls. She has made herself up to look glamorous. Uma has no official date on her arm, because being mayor of Cenril is a busy and therefore lonely affair, but she has brought her young son Marco, who looks extremely dashing in a tux and has a nut allergy.
Odhranos had needed two or three attempts to read the Guild’s letter, so tired was he when he found it on his desk after a day of teaching and training. Once the words he was reading finally sank in, the terramancer nearly dropped the letter with surprise. After a searing cup of tea to bring him to his senses, the mage set about making the necessary arrangements to prepare for the event. Namely a new suit. Or two, if S’erok got his way. Once the ceremony itself finally arrives, Odhranos finds himself in what can only be described as a situation plucked straight from his nightmares. Stuffed into a suit, albiet a well-tailored and tastefully dark grey one, paired with a crisp white dress shirt and burgundy tie, the terramancer looks out at the sea of mingling guests and feels his heart climb into his throat. “Oh, that’s rather a lot of people.” Odh murmurs to himself anxiously, his hands clasped tightly in behind his back to suppress the nervous energy, which nevertheless expresses itself through the frantic bouncing of his tapping of his shoe on the ground. <”Relax, Odh, it’s just a party.”> The languid thoughts of Odhranos’ mental occupant drift across the hall, drawing Odhranos’ attention to where the dragon sits, draped carelessly over one of the chairs. Made corporeal in a form animated by the terramancer’s magic, S’erok looks for all the world like a stone doppleganger of Odhranos, dressed in an artfully crumpled brown suit, with jacket unbuttoned and rich blue tie tossed akimbo in the midst, the epitome of charmingly relaxed ease, a humorous counterpoint to the terramancer’s anxious fretting. <”It’d be a lot easier to relax if I didn’t have to spend half my focus on letting you dance around in that stone puppet, flirting with noblewomen.”> Odhranos shoots S’erok a silent glare, which the dragon returns with a wide grin, before returning his attention to the noblewoman in question, who leaned over towards the stone dragon, a devious smile on her painted lips as she listened with rapture to his tales. With a dejected sigh, Odhranos turns his attention back to the ball. A slight nudge at his shoulder makes him turn, meeting the blue gaze of Kestral. Even the drake is dressed for the occasion, with an ornate array of silver jewellery draped over her horns, completed by a delicate silver circlet upon her saurian brow. <"He's right. Relax. This is a celebration, you should enjoy yourself."> The drake huffs gently, before nudging the mage again. <"I should like to be introduced to your colleagues, if you would be so kind"> Odhranos smiles and places his hand on the drake's long scaled muzzle, before turning back to the crowd, spying faces he knew, so of whom he hadn't seen in quite some time. "Into the fray." he whispers to himself before setting off into the crowd, which parts behind him to give the large frost drake room to follow him.
Kasyr is doing a pretty good job of blending in, given that he's foregone his normal frumpy fashion statement: Ye old beaten up fur trimmed trenchcoat . Instead, today's fashion faux-pas is a black spidersilk suit, albeit one that happens to be a bit long in the sleeves and tight around the shoulders, courtesy of it being a last minute acquisition. Thankfully, it has enough room for a pair of whiskey flasks, which are already seeing a fair bit of use as more people trickle in. Despite that slight lapse of decorum, the Kensais' still looking a bit more intact then normal- he's clean shaven, surprisingly lacking his traditional bags under his eyes, and happens to have relatively intact, minus the bandages wrapped around his right hand.
Valrae ,arriving in the King and Queen of Larket’s entourage, is the picture of a dutiful lady in waiting. None of her actions or outward appearances belie the fact that she is in fact a reincarnated enemy of the royalty she serves, or that she is planning to publicly air her grievances with the guild for misusing her Razurath research. Her careful smiles and polite small talk was all part of the careful glamour of her alias, Grace the mage. Grace the illusionist, happy to serve and eager to please Queen Josleen. Or, that is what Valrae told herself. Most of the time though, the witch slipped so deeply into her lie of a life that the lines were blurred and she couldn’t tell where she ended and her affection for the Queen actually began. When Josleen hands her the gift and card, very real tears spring to her bespelled blue eyes. Upon opening it and seeing the lovely earrings nestled prettily inside, ‘Grace’ releases a small gasp. “I don’t know what to say!” She exclaims, reigning in her desire to hug the queen. “Thank you so much,” Before the disguised Valrae can say much more, an apprentice of the guild is ushering her to the seats lined near the stage. The ceremony will be starting shortly. Valrae glances back once over her shoulder. What a fine mess she’d gotten herself into. She spies Uma on her way to her chair but dares only a small conspirators smile.
Josleen notes Grace's desire to hug her, and the restraint, and squeezes Grace's hand in a moment of womanly affection and solidarity just before Grace is whisked away. Josleen turns to her husband and whispers, "I need a drink quickly before Guillem gets bored and runs back over here." The Prince stares at Odhranos and his drake, Kestral. "Is that a dragon?" the child asks the terramancer.
Odhranos is briefly caught off guard by the small voice by his side, and only after looking around comically does he notice Prince Guillem. Smiling pleasantly, Odhranos crouches to address the princeling, though, the terramancer is unaware of who exactly the child is, only having seen him as a baby previously. "Mmm, she is a drake, they're a bit like dragons, only a little smaller. Her name is Kestral. What is your name?"
Prince Guillem says, "Oh" at Odhranos explanation, mildly disappointed. When asked his name, he puffs his chest and announces with a nascent arrogance that will serve him well as a royal adult, "Prince Guillem Jauzon, first of his name - uh, er, that is, first of MY name- and Prophet and Vakmatharas, the Benevolent Lord of Death!" He beams proudly at his titles. Then Odhranos is whisked onto the stage and Guillem is pulled into a hug by his doting grandmother Jessa. "Come, Guillem, your granddaddy is making an announcement."
Valrae | Eventually, the lowlight of the event fades further and the delicate plucking of harmonic strings signals the moment for the growing crowd to find their seats. When a hush fully settles and the highest ranking members of the guild are seated on the stage, Kyl'oriel stands and takes his place at the glass podium. “Welcome,” The stage has been enchanted to project his voice, it travels easily across the vast tower. He pauses expertly before continuing to address the crowd. “And thank you all for coming. It is with great honor and great pleasure that the Mage’s Guild is announcing promotions for some of our most outstanding members. On the heels of a successful war against the hostile and invasive Razurath, it is only fitting that we celebrate our continued success as a guild and as individuals.” The man pauses again, “And now, without further ado,”
Valrae | Kyl'oriel says, “Announcing the promotion of Entered Apprentice Quintessa Dragana to the rank of Arcane Steward, for her notable service to the guild and her assistance in war against the Saurian onslaught. Quintessa is also being honored for her excellence among her peers despite her previous lack of formal education.”
Josleen smiles toothlessly and coldly at Uma.
Karasu || Berrentam calls out as Quintessa steps onto the stage, "Dask! Dask! Ava'yorn, Dask!" In his native tongue like Quintessa taught him.
Karasu keeps her eyes averted as she applauds with the rest of the audience.
Quintessa idly chats with different folks at the party, her loud chortle occasionally rising above the chatter of the room every time she politely laughs at someone's lame joke or story. Her mismatched eyes of blue and hazel however, don't stop looking around for her teacher and rival. Quintessa has just spotted Karasu across the room with Berrentam when the voice of Kyl'oriel catches her attention. Obvious pride in her steps, the changeling moves closer to him to accept her promotion, her gown shimmering like diamonds in the low-light of the ceremony. "Thank you," She cannot contain the pointed grin that shows as her lips peel back in a smile. "It is such a honor to finally reach this rank. I want to thank the entire Guild for giving me this opportunity, especially Master Kasyr, who's been more than patient training me. I want to thank Arh'Nuk for guiding me here, for choosing me. And I want to thank mot of all Xalious himself for bestowing upon all of us the gift of magic. Thank you!" And with that she moves to the side to begin the line of mages who've received recognition, both hands held behind her back as she beams at the crowd.
Hudson | Uma is annoying all of the waitstaff coming around with passed appetizers by politely asking if the food has nuts in it. It's not so much that she's being annoying in her asking the question - she's doing it politely - it's that invariably nobody knows the answer to it and Marco, for his part, doesn't appreciate why he can't eat something that LOOKS like it doesn't have nuts in it, and so has started to whine. At some point, Uma determines that sitting is the best way to avoid further drama between herself and her son, and so she escorts him toward their assigned seats. She catches Sara Grace's smile in passing and returns it. Josleen and Macon receive a waxy version of said smile, and she gestures at Marco as if to say, Sorry I can't talk, my child is being annoying. But in truth she is glad to have the excuse to ignore them. They are seated and applaud as appropriate the honorees.
Macon ushers his Queen over to what is presumably an open bar. The Rage Knight has a virtually unlimited supply of Larketian whiskey at home, so even though that is his drink of choice he accepts a non-Larketian brand here today, for variety. Josleen gets champagne or something equally as feminie and arcane (bubbles). They probably have VIP seating for a King and his fam here, right? Meanwhile, Headmaster Percival, who it is safe to assume is aware of Grace’s deception given his acute eye for magic, gives the disguised witch a pleasant smile as she passes him by while he takes his place near the stage.
Josleen applauds Quintessa, a stranger, and admires the woman's dress.
Zahrani glances at the conversation between the Larketian prince and the terramancer named Odhranos, before taking a seat with her feline brethren with a clear line of sight on the door. She takes note of Macon and Josleen before turning to face Kyl'oriel for his announcement of Quintessa's accomplishments. The three cats applaud politely.
Karasu steps forward when called to do so, giving a respectful bow of the head to her father. “Thank you very much for the honor.” When she looks up, she notes how her father also avoids her eyes. The two have still not addressed the shattering of the heirloom katanas she had so treasured. With a smile that she flashes to the audience, she silently leaves the stage. “Vinxa, Naflopsola.” Berrentam, having followed Karasu up to the stage, hugs Provost Tsuji’s leg before skittering off the stage and burying his face into Quintessa’s leg. “Dask! Wux confna okarthel!” The toddler chirps in the ancient saurian language. In common, he adds, “Kitty Mommy missed you too!”
Zahrani | Roahin and Bruiser smile warmly as they applauds for Karasu. The elder felines are happy she survived the Saurian onslaught.
Valrae | Kyl'oriel, resuming his post at the podium with more than a little side eye for Berrentam says, “Announcing the promotion of Arcane Steward Odhranos Kerrigan to the rank of Provost Esoterica, for his notable service to the guild and his assistance in war against the Saurian onslaught. Odhranos is also being honored for his devotion to knowledge and the imparting of that knowledge to the guild’s many apprentices.”
Josleen juggles her champagne glass awkwardly as she tries to find a place to set down the glass and applaud Karasu. She whispers to Macon, "How many graduates do you think?" This is always the most boring part of a commencement. Prince Guillem is a victim of his grandmother's overbearing affection. He looks disgruntled and searches for an escape. Aha. There. A boy. Guillem wriggles out of Jessa's arms and boldly approaches Marco and Uma, ignoring the latter because she is an adult. "Hi, I'm Guillem. Want to play knights v. witches? I have a sword." Guillem unsheaths a wooden play-sword from his belt.
Macon endorses kids to get out and play knights vs witches for at least 60 minutes a day.
Josleen golf claps for Odhranos unenthusiastically and whispers to her husband, "Isn't that the man who said the earthquake was a natural disaster? A fool."
Kasyr might feel out of place, but whatever unease he's feeling doesn't prevent him from offering up a hearty round of applause for Quintessa, and Karasu when their promotions are announced. Still, there's a flicker of concern that runs through the pride he's feeling- if only because of the matters left unaddressed.
Quintessa grins at Karasu when she joins her, "Congratulations," she says to her before reaching down to pick up Berrentam, "Si missed wux ekess moxt ir." She responds in draconic, "I've missed you both dearly. I promise not to leave you alone like that again, okay dearest?" Her mismatched eyes flicker over to the half-feline, "Your other mother and I have much to discuss about your future."
Valrae watches Guillem and Marco from afar, unaware of the proposed game, and is suddenly struck with a pang of longing for her own son. It wouldn’t be appropriate for Finn to have play dates with the son of the duo that murdered her, but somehow the witch stilled wished for it.
Odhranos ||After introducing Kestral to a number of the terramancer's colleagues, all who politely complimented the frost drake's attire, leaving her positively glowing with pride, Odhranos feels change in the mood of the gathering as the ceremony nears it's beginning. Parting from Kess with a few warm words, Odhranos makes his way up towards the front of the hall, seating himself near the end of the line of velvet chairs. Frowning at the mention of the recent involvement of the Guild in the Razurath "war", Odhranos finds a deeply uncomfortable feeling of doubt settling in his gut as he joins in the polite applause. Is that what this is? Some kind of twisted celebration of the Guild’s successful mass slaughter? Odhranos’ mind is swirling with distress, but he nonetheless keeps his face composed, the feeling passing as the ceremony progresses. As each of his fellow members have their names called, he claps enthusiastically, smiling broadly as they each receive their certificates and are presented before the gathered mass. When his name is called, he straightens in his seat and a warm smile composes his features. Standing up from the velvet chair, he smooths the creases from his suit jacket as he begins to stride onstage, while the announcer continues in his speech. When his involvement in the genocide of the Razurath is mentioned, no, more than mentioned, honoured, the mage’s steps falter momentarily. Odhranos feels a weight of guilt settling on his shoulders. Heartened at least that he is renowned for his pursuit of knowledge, the mage strides up onstage to accept his certificate and the handshakes of the various Guild officials. And yet, the whole ceremony feels wrong, like the Guild has been tainted by it's recent actions. Odhranos wants to speak out, to advocate against this glorifying of slaughter, but his voice catches in his throat. "I… would like to thank the Guild for its continued support of my research. I hope that with this new position, I can greater facilitate the search for knowledge that defines our Guild." With that, his feet simply carry him from the stage and back to his seat, a sort of lost expression clouding his features.
Hudson | Uma does not notice when Marco twists in his seat, having spotted another child close to, if not a few years older, than him. Obviously a newfound friend will be more interesting than whatever this adult thing is. The two children making eye contact evidently sets in motion a rather inappropriate sequence of events: the young Larket prince approaches Marco and suggests 'knights v. witches,' which causes Uma to pale. "Yes," agrees Marco immediately, adding, "I will be a witch. Does your mom let you eat things with nuts in them?" Uma holds out her hand to block any potential sword play, wooden or not. "Hey, hey, none of that," she hisses, in her disapproving mom voice, "Where is your mother?" she can't stand in the middle of the ceremony but she twists about in her seat in search of Josleen.
Macon nods in time with Josleen's questions and diagnosis. "They really should do this how The Academy does it. This whole thing is poorly run." He mutters back to her, ignoring the fact that The Magics Academy's ceremonies are virtually identical to the Mage Guild's. "They'll take -any- applicant in this place, obviously," he responds in regards to Odhranos's promotion.
Valrae | Kyl'oriel says, “Announcing the promotion of Arcane Steward Sara Grace Harron to the rank of Provost Esoterica, for her notable service to the guild and her assistance in war against the Saurian onslaught. Grace is also being honored for her research on the dread Razurath, which was useful in arming ourselves against them in battle.”
Valrae, glamoured as Sara Grace, sat in her appointed velvet chair demurely as guests flooded into the warm, enchanted mage hall. Legs crossed, hands folded delicately in her lap, the witch was the picture of easy calm in the growing din of the gathering crowd. Her hair, naturally gold but enchanted now to appear chestnut and glossy brown, waved loosely around her freckled shoulders and was styled just lazily enough to appear as if she’d just tumbled out of a very soft bed. The dress she’d chosen was a rich, verdant green silk. The back and front were both cut in dramatically low Vs, with long sleeves, and skirts full and alive with movement when she finally stood and crossed to the stage to accept her promotion and the small certificate offered to her. ‘Grace’s’ heels clicked loudly, satisfyingly, in the hush as she neared center stage. She accepted her promotion with a polite and unassuming smile before turning to face the crowd, rather than simply exiting the stage as those before her had done. With eyes glamoured lake blue and burning with passion, ‘Grace’s’ magically enhanced voice rang out clear as a bell through the tower. “The purposeful extinction of the Razurath was a gross misuse of the Guild’s vast power and resources, and-” By now, someone will have attempted to hush and usher the witch off stage. She doesn’t budge. “And,” She starts again, “Gevurah D’Artes seeming ability to utilize the guild and all of its resources as if it were underneath her own authority is a direct reflection of ineffective and lazy leadership.” With an exaggerated, low flourishing bow, ‘Grace’ punctuates her statement with, “Thank you for this honor,” before exiting the stage.
Zahrani and Roahin couldn't help but grin at Grace's short speech. Here is a woman of conviction and conscience. The Isran Collective wanted nothing to do with the genocide of the Razurath, and this woman on-stage summarized their feelings rather well. The three felines applaud and smile, regardless of whether or not Grace/Valrae gets ushered off the stage.
Kasyr 's ears are at this point just pressed back against his head. If he could shrink inside this flask. . .
Valrae | Kyl'oriel, notably still scowling from ‘Grace’s’ highly unorthodox outburst, says, “Announcing Kasyr Azakhaer to the official rank of Auxilia Veneficus, for his notable service to the guild and his assistance in war against the Saurian onslaught. Kasyr is also being honored for his dedication to the training and betterment of the guild’s entered apprentices.”
Josleen | Guillem makes a performance of nodding casually at Marco's question. "Yea, I eat nuts." Prior to this moment, Prince Guillem had no idea that non-royal children were forbidden nuts. He now believes that nut-eating at his young age is another one of the many privileges of being a Prince. The luxury immediately goes to his head. "Ok, you can be the witch, so you have to--" Uma stops the fun. Prince Guillem's temper begins to flare. Marco, then Uma, then Jessa may feel a spike in their own temper as the Jauzon's family curse, this infectious magical rage, begins to spread. "I'm not going to hit him!" Guillem whines at Uma. Near the bar, Josleen's spine stiffens as she feels her son's temper flare. Her eyes widen to Macon because she knows he felt it too. Quickly she moves towards her son and forces a smile for Uma. "Hello, Uma, a pleasure to see you," she lies. "Guillem, come, there's little cakes back here for you." Guillem continues to whine, "I want to play knights v witches!" He voice rises a little. "Marco's mom won't let him play! Or eat nuts!" Josleen looks confused at this last point and searches for Macon who has always had more success bringing Guillem down from his rage tempers. By now some of the mages guild members may feel irritated and itch for a fight too.
Odhranos 's eyebrows raise at Grace's statement, so boldly presented to the assembled mages. In a rare show of courage, spurred on by Grace's statement, Odhranos stands to his feet and applauds the Provost as she exits the stage. Odhranos feels an iron strength settling in him. Grace is right, Odhranos is not alone in his indictment of the Guild's actions and he admires her courage to announce her views before the Guild.
Kasyr had, on some level, expected his own invitation to be some sort of administrative error- if only because of the disasterous nature of how his classes had gone. So, it should be little surprise that when he's called up, he proceeds to completely empty one of the flasks. "Ah, hell." Every bit of work he'd placed into at least providing a fascimile of kemptness goes out the window as he moves to address the room, seemingly oblivious to the manner in which he begins to anxiously run his hands through his hair, " So. Uh. I'm a bit surprised that I'm here today, en fait. But, I'm grateful for it, because it's been immensely rewarding to have a hand in training a new generation of mages, et practioners of the sword. It's been inspiring to work along with students who are so eager to learn, to apply themselves." He raises a finger here, as though requesting a pause for effect, "Et I will do my best to uphold what's expected of those of my station." then casually takes a swig from the second flask, "Though I'd appreciate a bit of a heads up if there's another genocide in the itenerary, tu sais? Anyways, have a good evening." Ooof. Well, with -that- said, the Kensai's just going to shuffle off to a side, so he can maybe haunt a punch bowl.
Josleen's distracted by Grace's speech and is torn between the guild drama and her son's temper. She assumes Grace is speaking out only because she is infected by her son's rage.
Quintessa cannot help but grin at Grace's speech. The changeling felt the same about that whole debacle. However, when Kasyr's name is announced her grin of amusement is replaced by loud applause, "Woo, Kasyr!" she calls out.
Valrae had not expected there to be a show of agreeance and would have been perfectly content to have said her peace and received the eventual trouble that followed it on her own. The clapping that followed her off stage had the corners of her lips turning in a suddenly shy smile.
Valrae | With the final promotion having been announced, the lights slowly raise again and low music swells. The guild officials stand, take leave of the stage, and depart from the reception with their heads bent together as they share hushed whispers. Clearly, they were unhappy with the overt shaming that some members had decided to use their moment in the spotlight for. This was something that needed to be discussed further and behind closed doors before they were going to rejoin the festivities. A plump woman dressed in apprentice robes nervously announces that refreshments are available and that the crowd is welcome to mingle and congratulate the newly ranked members of the guild.
Macon enjoys the show put on by one of his nemeses on stage in her protest of Mage Guild military action spurred on by his former mentor. His viewing of the drama is cut short when Josleen pulls away to address the fury of the greatest prince of all time. He spies her having a bit of trouble and makes his move, clanking over and plucking his son up abruptly by the waist in one arm. As he approached the source of the infuriating aura, his own instigating bubble flares up in his immediate vicinity and a group of guild members that he passes by gave each other nasty stink-eyes. When he reaches the boy the anger that both father and son generate seems to fall off abruptly, almost as if their auras were causing negative interference with each other. “Come sit down with me,” Macon growls out in what appears to be an effective diffusal of the situation as he hauls Guy away.
Hudson | Marco is out of his chair now and about to tell Guillem all about how he ate something with nuts in it ONE TIME and now they are banned forever and his mom is being the worst about it, but Uma has cut in to rudely stop this important discussion. Guillem's rage spike is felt by Uma, who grabs Marco by the wrist and forces him to sit down. "Ow, MOM," says Marco, a little loudly, to pretty much everyone around them's embarrassment. "Please sit and be polite or we will have to leave," hisses Uma, who will later chalk this moment up to your average tired mom rage spike. Josleen is on the scene, and Uma finds her composure returning as Guillem's rage evens out with the arrival of his mother. "Hello, yes, good to see you too. I'm sorry," she says, reflexively, because though technically her child didn't start it she did cause a bit of a stir just then. She smiles thinly at the mention of Marco's ban on eating nuts, otherwise providing no helpful context. Marco, being a child, has not stabilized from all this upset. "This is boring!" he cries, and flees to the end of their row. "Marco," Uma hisses, her skirts clutched, as she is forced to crouch-hustle after him. Fortunately for her this transpires during Valrae's speech, so it is only somewhat embarrassing.
Kasyr doesn't waste much time in loosening the collar of his suit, so he at least reach a fascimile of his normal state of disarray. Quintessa's acknowledged somewhere about this time, the swordsman offering a casual two fingered salute, even as he begins the process of loading up a plate with a fairly excessive ensemble of hors d'oeuvres. "May as well balance out the drink."
Josleen follows her husband and son as far away from Marco and Uma as possible, suspecting the duo of agitating her precious son. Nonetheless, Guillem misbehaved. She places a hand on Macon's armored shoulder as she hisses at Guillem, "Guillem, you cannot shout at other mothers! Or at parties" "Why not!" Guillem shouts. Shouting at adults is an extremely efficient manipulation tactic back at Fort Freedom. How is Uma any different from any other adult on Macon and Josleen's payroll? Josleen, not wanting to make a scene, switches to non-verbal discipline which is ineffectively delivered through hard stares and stern lips. Only Macon has any success disciplining the brat prince. Then again, Macon is also Guillem's greatest enabler. Kyl'oriel and Jessa join the Jauzons and bring with them the conviction that they, experienced parents, can handle this better than Macon and Josleen, parental novices. "Guillem, have you ever heard of a homunculus? Come," says Kyl'oriel as he leads his grandson away to learn about the magical creatures in attendance. Josleen reluctantly lets her father take her son. She watches the trio disappear into the crowd then shares a commiserating look with Macon. They need to do something about Guillem's rage. It's getting worse.
Zahrani overhears the yelling of the prince, turning her head towards the scene but saying nothing. She remembers the last time this happened, but it seems his family is working to keep him distracted. She turns back to the other two felines in her company. Matriarch Roahin, upon spying Karasu, waves to her.
Quintessa lingers by the tables of food, pointing to different things that she wants Berrentam to try. "C'mon, it's just a carrot," she pleads, trying to get the toddler to eat his vegetables, "You can't just eat chicken tendies, you have to eat something else." The baby dragon doesn't want carrots though and he throws them to the floor where Quintessa refuses to clean them up. "Berrentam!" she's not happy with him for doing that, "Hengsun is going to have to clean that up later now." Somewhere in the crowd, Hengsun looks up, dread in his eyes.
Hudson | Uma finally catches Marco by the wrist, which causes him yet again to dramatically exclaim, "OW," even though it probably didn't hurt, whilst flailing about. His balled up fist hits a passing waiter in the crotch, albeit not very hard. "I'm so sorry," breathes Uma, smiling painfully as the man doubles over. Her jaw clenches very tightly as she addresses Marco, "We. Are. Leaving."
Macon mirrors Josleen’s look back at her, but only for her benefit. It is no secret that The Rage Knight finds much less of an issue with his son’s temper problem than his wife does.
Valrae rather sheepishly finds her way out into the crowd, headed straight toward an apprentice that carried a tray of something pink and bubbly in an elegant fluted glass. She was unaware of the near rage outbreak but familiar with them now, having been in the Queen’s employ long enough to have witnessed them on occasion. If she hadn’t been too busy eyeing the leadership of the guild to gauge their response to her pointed speech, she might have clued into the scene and pieced it together. It was lucky enough for her though, because it might pull out some of the sting of what she’d done with Josleen. Valrae was still too nervous to find out. It seemed safer to linger in the heart of a crowd of her guildmates now and distantly listen to them chatter, only nodding and making small comments when prompted. She spots Uma again, clearly in a battle of wills against Marco, and decides to break away from the crowd to see her before she leaves. “Thank you for coming,” Val as Gace says, rushing to catch her and reaching out to lightly brush her fellow witch’s shoulder.
Odhranos breaths a sigh of relief once the ceremony ends and he can blend back into the crowd again. Stepping away from the stage, he makes his way through the crowd, though his attention is drawn to the ruckus that the Larketian Royal Family are making. When he sees the small boy who had addressed him earlier, he now registers the connection between him and the royal couple now reprimanding him. Odhranos cringes back; his personal experience with the Larketian royalty is decidedly less than positive, and now that he recalls the child's self introduction, briefly forgotten in the chaos of the ceremony, Odhranos is only further disturbed by the family. Hiding away in the crowd once more, he plucks a champagne flute from a nearby server, sipping it as he strides through the crowd.
Josleen sees Marco punch a waiter in the jewels and is oddly relieved. Poised, cool Uma has no easier a time with this parenting gig than she does. For a brief moment she feels a tenderness towards the fellow harried mom, but their history as political rivals prevents that from blossoming into anything that may sustain future peace. The Queen scans the room for the Prince. He's petting an astral cat as Kyl'oriel explains how the cat phases between planes - an explanation which goes right over Guillem's head both literally and figuratively. Perhaps the night can be salvaged yet. Back to Plan A: get a little tipsy, let hair down, offload kid on parents. She swaps out her empty champagne flute for a full one and watches the crowd. Ah, there's Kasyr. Odd to see him here. "What's he up to, you think?" Josleen whispers to Macon. Oh, there's Zahrani, what a thorn in the throne's side! "Do all cat people know each other?" she muses with an impish grin, again for her husband's benefit. He's always enjoyed and encouraged her mean girl side. She mocks a few dresses and the weirdo hermit mages and their effete attempts at small talk and mingling.
Zahrani notices Grace seeking to blend in with the crowd, a slight grin on her feline face before she stands up and wanders over to the table of hors d'oeuvres. Meanwhile, the Matriarch sets out another chair at the table. Should Valrae D/B/A Grace catch the elder feline's amber gaze, the 'retired' terramancer would wave her over and say, "A moving speech, my friend. Glad to see there are still guild members who aren't afraid to dissent." Bruiser joins Rani, grabbing a plate of food bits for himself and for his mate, while Rani makes her way back to the table, her ears picking up idle conversation.
Valrae finds her path suddenly crossing Odhranos. They both seemed to have the shared idea of needing a drink and the safety of the crowd. She smiles politely, “Congratulations on your promotion,” The witch considers him. He had decided to stand and clap earlier, presumably he agreed that the complete and total annihilation of the Razurath had been morally wrong. But he’d also played a very real role in their extinction. Not that Valrae hadn’t herself, in more ways than one. Before she can ask any pointed questions, a feline catches her eye and offers her a seat at a nearby table. Graciously, the witch dips her head to Odhranos and moves to accept the offered seat. “Thank you,” She answers. “I’m not impressed with the current state of the guild,” Val pauses to sip her drink. “I suppose I could have had more tact,” She shrugs her freckled shoulders. “But I’ve never been known for it.”
Quintessa has had enough of the whole 'taking care of Berrentam' thing so she thrust the child into the arms of the red-haired handmaiden that had been dragged along for this little journey. "Here, do not let him out of your sight." The vampiress seems very put-off but is also not in the position to argue with her Lady. "Oh-I- Yes, Baroness..." the baby dragon immediately breaks free on the handmaiden's grip and flees across the room. "Well?" Quintessa says, hands on her hips, "Go after him!" Once they were both out of the changeling's hair she begins her search for Kasyr. If there is one thing she knows about him, it's that he loves hors D'ouevres.
Hudson | Uma has Marco by the hand and is pulling him toward the exit. She feels a deep embarrassment in having thought this would be a good idea to bring him. She is intercepted by Valrae, who thanks her for coming. "Of course," breathes Uma, glancing about them to see who might potentially listen to this interaction. No one. They've a few seconds to speak freely before a waiter will try to foist food onto them. "Congratulations. I liked your speech, what I heard of it." "MOooooom," intones Marco, yanking on her arm. "Stop being a brat," Uma reflexively hisses at him, turning to give Valrae a tired smile. That's her cue to go, lest a scene be caused.
Hudson vanished before your eyes, perhaps never to be seen again.
Zahrani either ignores Josleen's comments, or she simply did not hear. She arrives at the other table at around the same time as Valrae, offering a smile to the witch before taking a seat next to her. The older feline terramancer offers a nod in response to the glamoured woman's comments about tact. "Perhaps; there is a time and place for such things..." before looking to the panther feline who had rejoined them. Rani nods in agreement, before adding, "It's a good place for tact, and a good place for making people think about what they've done. So kudos to you for that." She takes a sip of her own drink. She's staying sober for the evening, sticking with unhardened cider.
Macon dives into dishing with Josleen as he starts on, and finishes his third or fourth whiskey of the night. Kasyr is “Probably here to feed on some unlucky drunk that stumbles out of this tower later.” He wouldn’t be surprised if all cat people knew each other and lets her know as much. He’ll continue on like this for as long as he and the Queen of Larket are left alone, inserting little jabs at the nerds in the guild while propping up the loyal Larketians in attendance representing the academy. The liquor and his own brazen demeanor causing him to be all over his wife as they look over the peasants, in a series of not-so-subtle touches and grabs.
Odhranos nods as he encounters Grace in the crowd. "Likewise, congratulations on your promotion as well." Odhranos pauses, then continues. "As well as for your speech. I wished I had the strength to speak up like you did." Odhranos smiles gently, then continues into the crowd, sipping his champagne ponderously. He notices Quintessa, seemingly searching for someone, and he moves across to address her briefly. "Congratulations, Steward Quintessa. I'm glad to see your ability getting the recognition it deserves."
Kasyr has by this point done a pretty good job of stacking up an excellent compliment of bacon-wrapped scallions, various cheeses, and a bunch of bite sized pastries, enough so that the process of slipping back into the crowd takes more effort than normal. It's during the process of seeking out a better vantage point to do just that, that he finds himself near colliding with Quintessa- and gaining a far better look at her bit of costuming for the evening. "Oh! ...Oh. Hi? You look, " Ominous? Kasyr's definitely grown a bit more ashen in the face of all that ouroboros imagery, but he still manages to utter out an ironic, "Breathtaking. Stopping. Er, stunning." His gaze flickers towards the crowd, tracing over it in search of either an escape route, or a server passing by with a drink, before his attention drifts back to her, and the decidely ophidian fashion statement, "Um, Congratulations. Honestly." The precarious balance of snacks is slowly beginning to drift off to the side.
Josleen is tipsy by the end of the second glass of champagne, and decides to start on a third anyway, pushing well past the 'get tipsy' part of the plan for tonight. She enjoys his attention, both verbal and physical, for as long as her parents manage to entertain Guillem. Eventually the prince has had enough of the mystical creature zoo and he finds his parents to whine that he is bored. Time to go. Josleen and her family say their goodbyes, making it a point to congratulate Grace once more while pretending her outburst made no impact (in truth, Josleen still believes Guillem's tantrum was at fault for Grace's mood). The royal family leaves the hall, though they'll be staying in Xalious in the modest home of Kyl'oriel for one night, a humble abode for the least humble family on the continent.
Quintessa perks up upon hearing Odhranos' congratulations. "Oh, thank you!" she turns to face him, flipping her long, black hair over her shoulder, "It's about time," she snickers, "I blame that lack of proper leadership that Grace was talking about." she laughs at her own comment before giving the terramancer a polite smile. "Congratulations to yourself. Provost Esoterica? With all the work you've put in, you really deserve it. Honestly if yo- Ack!" it is this time that Kasyr bumps into her and the changeling is stutters a moment as the Kensai speaks to her. "Oh-I-um... Thanks! You clean up pretty nicely yourself." She smiles as she looks him over, making sure her didn't have any bruises or marks showing. "It's about time you were properly brought on."
Valrae smiles brightly toward Zahrani. “I’m better at making a scene.” She nods along with the feline, seemingly in agreeance. “I appreciate the support,” The witch chimes, standing again rather abruptly. She brushes at her skirts. “I’ll leave you to enjoy the rest of your evening,” With her glass now empty, ‘Gace’ snags a fresh one on the fly by and deposits the empty flute as she goes. Her feet lead her near Josleen and Macon, who seem to be rather cozy and unwelcome to interruption. Eventually, the opportunity to say her goodbyes passes and the royal family departs. Without much else to do, she floats over to the table heavy with food and picks at the small vegetarian options that were offered. She catches the tail end of Kasyr’s strange compliments for Quintessa and scrunches her nose at him, hardly able to hold in the laugh that nearly fell from her lips. It was probably best to float away from this pair as well, and so she does.
Zahrani and the other felines prepare to depart. This celebration of genocide, along with those who seem to have dissented against it, have given them a good amount of information.
Kasyr shifts a bit as he's scrutinized, trying to strike a fine balance between juggling the hors d'ouvres and eating some of them. And, really, unless she looks under the platter he's carrying, he's probably going to pass that impromptu examination, given the wrappings around his hand are currently out of sight, and thus out of mind. That said, it's probably harder to miss the agitated twists of his tail at the moment, "Merci. I figured it'd be worth the effort. Though, I'm still surprised they took me on, as it were." There's another balancing act the Kensai's involved in- as he both tries to avoid staring, while also ensuring he doesn't just avoid looking at her. Something that would be easier if Odhranos was still present, but Kasyr's not having a lot of luck in seeing him at the moment. Which leaves him with little more to do than comment, "So. That was a pretty interesting dedication speech you made."
Quintessa is about to peek at the kensai's hand before her eyes flicker away to gaze at his tail. "Yes, honestly, in this political climate we need all the people we can get. I hope, at least, that -you- can't be bought by Gevurah." The changeling is about to make some other quip at his expense until Kasyr derails her by bringing up her speech. "Oh, that?" the odd girl chuckles to herself, "That was nothing. Honestly, it is Arh'Nuk who inspired me. The Moon's protection has been with me for some time. Without its occasional words of wisdom and encouragement I doubt I would have made it this far." She gives a quick look around the room before she nods her head in the direction of the door. "Do you want to join me for some fresh air upstairs? That room we talked in the other day is usually safe to smoke in without anybody noticing."
Kasyr spills more than a few bacon-y bits of goodness over the course of those words, his tail practically coiling in and itself. "Bought? Non- though trying times have more than once made for strange allegiances."Her comments on the moon are what caused the largest disruption to his demeanor, his expression contorting into one of concern, before it's buried back down. "I...yeah. The fresh air might do me some good, j'pense. ...Words of wisdom, though? Like, literal?" The Kensai gives Quintessa another appraising look, and for a brief moment, there's a distinct wish for the absence of all that serpentine paraphanelia- though the memory that stirs up serves as an excellent reason to distract himself with a few more hors D'ouevres. "Allons-y."
Quintessa leads Kasyr away from the party, already reaching into her handbag to pull out a silver cigarette case. "Yes, of course literal words. Arh'Nuk has chosen me for great things, why wouldn't it speak to me?" The newly promoted arcane steward gives one last look around the room to make sure nobody noticed them leave together before heading up the stairs. Kasyr's concerns about snake and serpent iconism goes over the head of the strange woman at the moment, though she gets the sense that he doesn't like something about her outfit. She'd question him more about that when they got away from prying eyes.