The Yule Ball

[Soleil]

It was finally the evening that most of the Tresterian nobles were waiting for. The Yule Ball. A time when the castle doors were open to all the noble families of Tresteria. Rumors had spread that the ball would not be happening this year because of the late king's death, but plans had already been underway before the king left Tresteria. The council had decided it would be a good way to honor the king.

The ballroom was lit by chandeliers and several added candelabra, each decked with pine garlands and sprigs of holly. The bright berries shone in the flickering light, bright against the evergreen needles. A massive Yule tree stood in on the far side of the room next to the refreshments, carefully decorated with dried orange slices, pine cones, and candles in glass globes. A team of musicians stood on its other side, already playing familiar carols on stringed instruments. Plenty of room was unoccupied for pairs to dance, and a few early-arrivals already twirled across the floor in elegant swirls, silken gowns flaring around them.
A spicy-sweet smell filled the air as servants ladled mulled wine into cups at the refreshment table, spreading its cozy cinnamon and clove scent throughout the room.

The evening festivities would consist of dinner, music, and dancing for as long as the people desired to stay for the evening. A seamless event that the staff had prepared for and knew how to run.

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OOC: 

Post your characters arriving/already there and feel free to post at your leisure! This is also based in Winter.  Happy Yule, everyone! 

[Lucian deGrey]

[Continued from Gift Giving]

Lucian stood just outside the ballroom as he waited for his date to come back from dropping the flowers he had given her back to her room. He watched as people began to filter their way into the room for an evening to celebrate the holiday. It would be a fun evening, but he couldn't seem to shake the nerves that ran through him. Something made him nervous, and he wasn't quite sure what. Surely he had dated before. He had gone to many balls before. So what was it about this date and this ball that was making him so nervous?

He only hoped Wesley wouldn't humiliate him, too badly (or Anemone) when he introduced them. Wesley knew about his affections for the woman, as he had been pretty honest with him about it. Though they did have a rapport going with one another, he only assumed everything was fair game.

When Anemone returned and twirled for him to show off her outfit, Lucian grinned and glanced her over. The roses he had given her had matched her dress nicely--and he hadn't even tried. What a happy accidental coincidence. He laughed softly and nodded, "you look very nice." He gently complimenting her, immediately wishing he had used different words. Telling someone they looked nice felt as if he were just trying to be polite. She looked more than just nice... But he did not want to overdo it, especially since his gift was perhaps a little much more than it should have been. He smiled nervously and scratched the back of his head, "actually... What I meant was you look perfect." Not just her outfit, her entire being. He offered his arm to her to take so he could lead her into the ballroom where he found an empty table and set the box of cookies down, draping his jacket over the back of the chair he had selected for his own. "Is this alright? Or were there others you wished for us to sit with, specifically?" He did not want to automatically assume that she'd want to sit with his brothers, so he had chosen the empty table. Mostly to allow whoever wished to sit with them, to come to find them.

[Anemone Sellar]

Anemone wasn't disappointed with 'very nice,' it didn't even occur to her to be dissatisfied. She was just glad that Lucian wanted her around, frankly, and she wasn't about to be picky about his word choices or anything else. He didn't have to get her anything special, or really work at it--he just naturally treated her better than she had been before, and she was basking in it.

So she was already beaming before he corrected himself and she wound up flustered and hiding her face in his arm for a moment after he offered it. It just made her heart and her brain go haywire for a moment whenever he said such kind things or looked at her the way some people looked at art or the sea. She had to take a deep breath before she was able to answer.

"You're honestly just the sweetest," she confessed quietly, "I just don't even know how to handle someone being so nice to me."

She was glad to enter the ballroom, her mouth falling into a little 'o' as she got her first look at the finished decorations. She'd heard a few things from Elyscia about what she was working on, but seeing it all together was an entirely different thing. It was like the room had been decorated with magic. She was hardly watching where they were going, she was so distracted. It wasn't until he asked if it was alright that she recalled herself.

"Oh, no, that's perfect. This way whoever wants to can find us on their own." She smiled warmly. "And if it turns out to be a quieter night with just you and me, that's fine too."

[Alice Calder]

She wasn't quite excited, but there was something there, for sure. Almost like the smallest inkling of eagerness that kept creeping its way into her gut, though she did her best to ignore it. Was a composed woman, after all, and she reminded herself that she'd do well to act like it. Despite the faint glimmer of hope brewing, she knew she had to keep her head about her.

Her curly brown hair was pulled up into a neat bun, a few stray curls falling around her small face. Mascara coupled with a thin line of smoked out liner gave her a smoldering look that was all but taking a backseat to her dark red lips. A navy blue, mermaid style dress adorned her body, hugging her curves before falling away at her thighs. It was an off-shoulder affair, with a slit on the right side running to the upper portion of her thigh and showing off her silver heels. The back of the form-fitting dress was open back and with her hair tied up, there was plenty of skin to be shown in her bold gown. Despite being the woman known to go all out when it came to dressing up, she'd opted out of wearing jewelry this evening. After all, the gown alone was enough to make a statement.

She'd greeted the people she knew before helping herself to a small glass of red wine. Standing away from the dancefloor, she watched as attendees danced, swirling gracefully to the music. Others stood about, chatting with their dates or friends, some even taking a few moments for themselves to fully take in the decorations and sheer beauty of the ballroom. Whoever had been in charge of setting up the event had done a splendid job and for once, Alice was glad she hadn't missed out on seeing it for herself. It truly looked magical.

Her brown eyes scanned the room now and again, though it wasn't clear if she was looking for someone or just being her usual, high-alert self. Of course it was the former, but she'd never admit it.

[Kaiden Dellario]

[continued from Preparing For Yule]

Kaiden escorted his fiancee Elyscia Demarais through the halls and back to the hall. He might not be very familiar with the castle, but he had paid attention to their path before and easily found the way back. Maybe with a bit of gentle guidance from the lovely woman on his arm.

Even though he had seen the space only half an hour before, maybe less, it was difference seeing it alive. The people, the scent of food, the lights among all of it.

He still felt mildly under dressed. Kaiden glanced at Elyscia, taking in her dress, the belt, and her new jewelry and felt even more under dressed. Well, at least his good looks matched hers and he wasn't showing her up on the clothing front.

"What would you like to drink, milady?" In private, he might use her given name, but not here. At least, not yet, or unless she explicitly asked. "I'll leave our seating arrangements to your judgement," he added with an easy smile.

[Nathaniel Starke]

Nathaniel wasn't certain how the night would unfold, or what it would bring, but he had felt the same way about the Hound and Hare chase and had become pleasantly surprised by the outcome. He had met Alice and had enjoyed their conversation so much that he found himself thinking of it for the rest of the evening and into the next day. She had told him she would be there if not by choice, then by obligation.

He hadn't told his parents he had met anyone, though, as he never really spoke about that sort of thing with them, despite them constantly urging and pushing him to meet someone and start a family. He never allowed himself to get close enough to anyone to be able to accomplish such a life. Maybe that was the way it was supposed to be for him. But it didn’t mean he couldn’t meet others and make friends.

It was a whole family affair, unfortunately for Nathaniel. Both his parents would be there, along with his two younger sisters. His mother insisted that he come with them, perhaps to ensure that he attended the event. (She didn’t trust him to go on his own, of course). He was nervous about the fact that if they saw him with a woman, dancing, and having a good time, that they would pressure him into pursuing a serious relationship. And we wouldn’t want that, now would we?

Upon arrival, his sisters immediately rushed off, and his parents moved to find a seat. Nathaniel mumbled something under his breath before informing them that he was going to find himself a drink.
Dressed in a navy blue colored suit and vest, he made his way to the drink table and got himself some wine. It was then that he spotted Alice Calder , standing alone and watching the patrons dancing and having a good time. He smirked faintly and moved towards her. He walked behind her and spoke as he stepped up beside her. “Let the people-watching begin, hmm?”

Nathaniel couldn’t help but look her over briefly. It was hard not to. Her gown was a bold choice and he realized he accidentally matched her, without even trying or knowing what she would be wearing. He noticed she left quite a bit of skin exposed, enough to drive any man crazy, himself included. The color of her lips was inviting, reminding him of that briefest of a kiss she had given him, making him want more. Perhaps she chose the color to draw him in--to give attention to her lips, reminding him that he wanted more. It was working. He smiled at her. “Lady Calder. It’s good to see you again. You look....” He paused for a moment as he looked her over again and grinned with that charming, cocky grin of his, “...horrible.” He said with thick sarcasm, a mock look of disgust on his face, though his smile never faded, making it obvious he was only joking with her and clearly meant the opposite of what he spoke.

[Elyscia Demarais]

Elyscia arrived back to the ballroom, escorted by her fiancee. They had gone for a little walk and spent some time chatting and getting to know one another a little bit more. This meeting had gone quite a lengths better than their initial one, yet Elyscia still felt somewhat awkward and nervous around the man. She hadn't expected him to return to Tresteria at all, never mind on the eve of the Yule ball. So she was hardly prepared to spend the evening entertaining him and the fact that she was not here alone. In all honesty, she planned on spending the evening with her sister, Cassandra Demarais , and getting stupidly drunk and dancing the night away with her. This sort of threw a wrench in those plans. Cassandra had not met Kaiden Dellario yet. At least she did not think so-- Cass had gone away to Aralore just before Edward had arranged her marriage to him.

She knew a lot of the ladies planned on wearing red and green gowns for the holiday, so she decided to be a little different and wore a Champaign- nearly gold gown that had a shear textured overlay, looking like it sparkled. The sleeves were shear and could see her slender arms through them. Around her waist was a gold belt. Her long brown hair flowed loosely to the middle of her back and she wore a paper-eucalyptus crown that Anemone had made for her.

At their arrival, Elyscia glanced around the room. Although only half an hour had passed since she was last in the room, the atmosphere had changed dramatically with just the right amount of candlelight to brighten the room to give it that evening ambiance. Everything seemingly came together perfectly and she felt rather proud of accomplishing such a feat.
Green eyes shifted up to Kaiden as he questioned her and she flashed him a small smile, nodding in gratitude, "Thank you...Just a glass of wine would be nice."

She waited until he walked off to retrieve their drinks and she glanced around to see if she spotted anyone she knew, specifically her sister. She spotted Anemone Sellar and what looked to be her date. Wait- was that her cousin, Lucian!? She grinned widely and made her way over towards the pair, gently grabbing hold of her friend's arm and leaning into her. "I see you have met my cousin, Lucian, Hmm?" She glanced at her cousin and smiled at him. "Luci! How are you? Anemone here is just gorgeous, don't you think!?" She winked at him and placed a quick kiss to Ane's cheek.

[Emma Savatier]

Emma had prepared at home, using her own jewelry that she had made to pin into her Hair. Around her neck was a similarly styled Necklace that she had painstakingly made for this event. She hadn't truly been out of her home since the passing of her siblings and mother, so she wanted to make a bit of a statement when attending the ball. Emma was happily wearing a form fitting, off the shoulder and open back Silver Dress that rounded out her entire look.

She was already there but sticking back a little as she would round about to plucking a glass a wine from one of the servers, dipping her head a bit in thanks to them as she would make her way to the tree. It was beautiful and she couldn't help the small smile that was on her face at seeing it in all it's festive glory. 

[Claire Beauchard]

Claire was a mix of nervous and excited. A ball! A Yule ball! This was probably the biggest and most elaborate ball Claire had ever been too, and a part of her was very sad Teagan couldn't be there to enjoy it with her and Cassandra Demarais, as well as with their queen. King Aric was of course the queen's date, and Claire didn't have anyone, but Cassie had been nice enough to deck her out and go with her. 

"But why does the slit have to be so long! and the same with the neckline?!" Claire whispered exasperatedly as they walked into the ballroom. She looked up Cassandra, ever the beautiful vision, and then glanced down at herself. She had to admit the silver of the gown was pretty, but it was certainly not what Claire would have picked. Her hair was down in wavy strands, and partially pulled back with a the flowery head piece. "What if my boobs fall out!?"  Her voice took on a high pitched squeak with concern. What was Cassie plotting putting her in something like this? Where was Teagan to back her up... Though, Claire had the inkling Teagan would be backing Cassie up over Claire. The dress made her feel....well like a grown up. A Lady, and not a wallflower. 

Her blue eyes scanned the room, looking for anyone she knew, but of course she didn't. Still, she could at least enjoy watching everyone else enjoy the party. She found herself looking for a particular gentle giant, wondering if he was on guard duty somewhere else or if he'd there. 

[Wesley deGrey]

Oh no, Anenome...it wasn't going to be a quiet night. Not at first, at least, that much was a guarantee. Everything was fair game, so there was no telling whether Lucian's brother was going to be play nice or not. Perhaps it depended upon his mood. And right now, he seemed to be in a very good mood.

He kept his attire simple with a stark white tunic with black breeches and jacket. He even shaved the stubble from his face which often made him appear a bit younger, slicking that dark hair out of his face. How long that would last was a tossup. That hair of his was often a mess that liked to stick up in all sorts of directions.

Although there was a man at the door to announce all who entered, as was custom, he barely stopped to allow the man to do so. The third-born deGrey made his way in and took in the lovely decorated ballroom. Wesley was not surprised- the castle always threw a good party. Those vivid blues, nearly wild with excitement, swept along the faces in attendance. There were a few faces he was hoping to see, such as a pair of roguish black eyes, but when he hadn't spotted her, he was swiftly honing in on another target.

And there he was. Handsome, of course, but the wily fox was noticing the lovely blonde on his arm more than anything. A promise was a promise. Cue that sly grin, watching as Elyscia was already making her way over. It would seem this would be a family affair.

Quietly slipping up onto his cousin's other side, he was pressing a kiss to her temple. "Elyyyy...you look beautiful as always," he complimented her, his grin sincere now. His gaze drifted for a moment before settling back upon her face. "And where is your sister? I have not seen her in a few days, is she ill?"

After, his attention was shifting towards his brother where the man would notice the glint of mischief in his eyes, the smile on his face faltering a little to match. "Dearest Lucian..." He clapped the man upon the shoulder before a turn of his head, his curiosity alighted upon the queen's handmaiden and he was reaching for her hand. "And this...must be Anemone," he spoke quietly, lifting her hand so that he could press a gentle kiss to her knuckles. "Quite the pleasure."

[Alice Calder]

Any normal person would have jumped at the sudden sound of a voice so close. Instead, Alice merely turned her gaze upwards, giving a half-hearted smile, though the delighted expression still played in her brown eyes. "Does people watching ever truly end?" She asked him, lifting her glass to her lips and taking a sip as her eyes moved back to the dancing patrons.

She could feel his gaze roam her body which was only confirmed as she peeked at him from the corner of her eye, a smirk tugging at her lips. When he spoke up again, this time a more formal greeting, sarcasm in his 'compliment,' Alice couldn't stop herself from laughing. She turned her body to face him fully, looking up at him from beneath her dark lashes as she motioned with the hand that held her wine glass to his attire, giving herself a brief moment to look him over before she lifted her chin. "Mm, I suppose that it's a good thing your attire matches mine then, Mr. Starke. At least I won't be the only one that looks horrible tonight." She gave him a playful wink and a charming, confident smile. She knew that he wasn't being serious of course, and neither was she. He looked nearly as lovely as she did, if not equally so.

She'd be lying to say that their encounter during the chase hadn't weighed heavily on her mind as well. Of course, she also wouldn't dare voice such a thing. What she did intend to voice at some point during the night, however, was a desire to dance with the handsome young man that stood before her. If his dancing matched his wit and charm, she was sure this would be a splendid night after all. Besides that, how long had it been since Alice had danced? To think back on it, the last time she could remember was the bride and groom dance at her wedding. But that felt like so long ago now.

She turned her body to face the dancefloor again, tilting her head towards Nathaniel as her right arm crossed her torso, holding her left arm steady as she swirled the wine gently in her glass. "To be quite honest, I was almost worried you wouldn't be present tonight." She said teasingly, giving him a cocky grin as she sipped from her glass again.

[Cassandra Demarais]

Normally Cassandra was far more excited for these things. And, she was excited in a way, however, it didn't seem to have quite the same affect on her this year. Henry was far too ill to join in the festivities, so it left the duchess with plenty of time to get herself ready, but more importantly, help a particular pixie with her own attire. After that one night, when Claire had gotten ill and Stefan had helped her, the wheels began to turn in Cassie's head.

If she couldn't indulge or even figure out her own love life, why not make someone else's happen? It kept her entertained enough, and seeing Claire all flustered was always amusing. It was adorable, really.

Trying to refrain from rolling those green eyes as her friend demanded to know- for what felt like the hundredth time- why that dress Cassandra chose for her had to be...revealing. She couldn't exactly tell her why without frightening the poor girl off, so she was attempting to come up with some sort of lie that would placate her. It was true, though- that silver gown was something more akin to what the duchess would wear instead of the more modestly cut silver gown she was actually wearing. She wasn't looking to impress anyone tonight. The only eyes she wanted on her were miles and miles away...

Cass finally burst out into laughter. "They will not fall out, sweetheart, I promise. Just..." Attention drifted down to the girl's bust, adjusting the neckline on the gown a bit. "Don't bend over too quickly." She bit down on her bottom lip to try and keep herself from laughing before they walked further into the ballroom, and she patted Claire's hand to try and console her. "You look perfect and beautiful, do not fret." Noting how she was looking around, Cassandra was unable to contain herself and she leaned in close, whispering into Claire's ear, "And I'm sure he'll notice, too."

A gentle giggle, she pressed a quick kiss to her cheek and slipped from her companion's side to search for a glass of wine. Claire could stand there, follow her, or go in search of other...companionship.

[Jack Sexton]

He was not supposed to be there. And if Sevrin knew what he was doing, he'd surely kill him. But what sort of buddy ole pal would Ole Jack be if he let his best buddy walk into a ballroom with people that may or may not lob his head off! Jack was merely.....Staking it out for him. Making sure he had backup! Yes that was it.

The castle really needed to up their security if people like Jack could just walk in. He'd swiped the suit earlier that day from a poor unaware tailor. He'd asked Bri to be his date so he could as least look like he belonged a bit more, but she'd given him the cold shoulder. Again. Honestly! He didn't see what her problem was. Most women loved Jack, but she wanted nothing to do with him. Instead she liked sicking her dog on him if even so much as looked at her with a hint of lust. Not to mention he'd seen her in a fight and a healthy amount of both fear and respect for the woman. But still...How Rude...

With that plan out of the way, he had to just go in solo. At least until he found Sevrin, who had wanted to surprise his sisters. Jack had heard about them, but never met them, and was curious to know what they looked like. Clearly nothing would happen with either of them. Jack wasn't that low as to try and sleep with any of Sev's sisters, but he could at least fuck with Sev and make him think Jack had certainly thought about it. Which wouldn't be that hard to believe...Because he had. Now...To find them.

Jack adjusted his tie on his suit, before he strolled into the ballroom. Thankfully the Queen of Aralore was apparently there, and if anyone asked he'd simply tell them that's where he was from. And vice versa. His dark eyes scanned the crowd, not seeing anyone he knew, or that might have already slept with (thank god) He placed his hands in his pockets, eyes raking over the delectable forms of women dressed in various gowns. He had said he was going surely to make sure Sevrin didn't die, and if he had to protect his fellow brother from a room of finely dressed curvaceous women...It was a sacrifice Jack was just going to have to take.

He wandered for a bit, formulating some form of plan, or trying to. Everyone was very distracting, and his eyes caught the silver clad woman walk in with an imp of a girl. Thought, given the look of that low cut dress and the way it hugged her body she was not a girl despite her size. He watched the two of them. Catching the way the taller hottie laughed and kissed the smaller one's cheek before leaving her. 

Time to strike Sexton... She was wandering to what he could only assume was drinks and could see the server but mere feet in front of her with one glass of wine left on his tray. There was someone else walking towards them, and Jack picked his pace up, tripping the poor man as he walked by, and acting like he hadn't done such a thing. Time it nearly perfectly as Cassandra Demarais reached for the wine glass just as he was. His fingers "accidentally" brushing her's. His dark eyes immediately went to her's. "Oopsie." He said. "Didn't see you there." The corners of his lips curled up into a slow smile. 

[Kaiden Dellario]

While Kaiden was not a wine connoisseur, he did find that mulled wine wasn't his least favorite beverage. It was better than some options, anyway. He collected two glasses from the servants. The scent was quite nice and likely half the reason he didn't despise it.

A quite survey of the arriving crowd clued him into the fact that he was not the only foreigner present. He recognized a few as being from Teronna and a few from Aralore, but honestly, with Aralore's patchy history and relocation and open borders, anyone could be from there. It was an encouraging place to visit in that way. He also noticed Roland's sister, Emma Savatier and gave her a polite nod in greeting as he searched for his date. Or fiance. That sounded better.

He tracked down Elyscia's champagne clad body to a group of other nobles. He knew most of them vaguely enough. He had of course heard of the Sellar sisters and this specific deGrey was the head of their family shipping company. Lucian deGrey he was more familiar with, a fell soldier, though Kaiden would hardly say the two were close. He understood these were Elyscia's family, in that way all vaguely royal families were related to many people. Kaiden was...all too familiar with it.

Handing the wine to Elyscia, he smiled at the others. "Kaiden Dellario. Pleasure to meet you," he said generally, hoping Elyscia Demarais would make more proper introductions. He didn't ideally want to lead with the two of them being engaged, and glanced at the woman, more than willing to say as much himself if she cued him to.

[Sienna Rousseau]

Sienna was a little nervous about attending the ball but she needed to go, she had to take the risk to see if he was there. She would take her time to pin her Hair up the same style that it had been when she met him and then wore a beautiful Red Dress that complimented her frame. She would have the material purposefully loosened around her midsection but hugging her chest more and her sides to make up for the bit of loose material that she needed to hide her growing bump.

At the party, she smiled and waved, no part of her looking like the part she played in the castle. Here she was Lady Rousseau and she played it well and happily.

She would take care to not go near anyone vaguely familiar from the palace that she might have run into before but it was easy for them to forget a maids face so she banked on that one. 

Taking a glass of cider from a server, she would continue her calm yet a bit important search while hoping she remained relatively unnoticed.