Let The Spectacle Astound You

[tidesnpcs.livejournal.com]

Characters: OPEN
Progress: Continuous
Summary: The party you've all been waiting for: the Grand Ball of Alexandria!
Location: Palace Alexandria
Date: June 21st, 1803
Warnings: TBA. Eventually, Violence.

For weeks, the palace had been abuzz with activity; even more so than usual. On top of the usual hustle and bustle of daily life, there were the extensive preparations to be done for the festival, and this, the grand finale. The palace's largest ballroom had been decorated from floor to ceiling, wall to wall. Long elaborate draperies of silk and chiffon in white and cream, the stairs lined in a rich, crimson carpeting. Gold and silver everywhere, framing the large windows and the door opening out to the courtyard. A warm summer evening, with the roses in full bloom. Flowers adorned every table, column, and doorway. It wasn't just the ballroom that had been decorated, however; the entire palace was decked in regalia, the staff having obviously anticipated the crowd to be much larger than usual.

All around the palace, inside and out, the guard was on high alert. Every guest was greeted, checked, and in the case of the higher-ranked, announced to the company at large. The sun had not quite set, and already the ballroom was half full; nobles and low-born alike, natives and foreigners, all dressed in their best. The guest of honor had yet to make her appearance, but no one seemed to be fussed by the fact.

But the night was young, and there was bound to plenty of seeing and being seen before the night was over.

[[ooc: Here we go, everyone! Party style still applies. Tag in, tag each other, mingle, HAVE FUN!... while you can. Thread jumping and ninja tagging is encouraged. ^.^]]

Update: A fist fight broke out on page two. Feel free to ninja in to spectate, generally comment or gasp, or just read it and have a laugh. Appropriate authority figures... Squall, Steiner, etc may need to step in.

Comments

[dynast-king.livejournal.com]

"An enemy and an ally," Vayne answered Garnet in a private tone as they drew closer. From a certain point of view, the Lady Ashe could be considered an ally. After all, she had so easily been led to do precisely what he and Venat had hoped for. "I shall not bore you with the politics behind that, but though I believe she may find my presence unwelcome, I hold high hopes that you might become friends."

Falling quiet the last few steps, he issued Ashe the courteous nod that she herself would not bestow. "Good evening, Lady Ashe. I pray the day finds you well. If I may, I would like to make an introduction." A small pause as he turned to the ranking woman first. "Garnet, may I present the Lady Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca, Princess of Dalmasca. Lady Ashe, Her Royal Majesty Garnet til Alexandros the XVIII, Queen of Alexandria." Another polite dip of the head with each woman's title, wordy as they both were. His own were ridiculous and impressive when all listed out, a fact that both pleased and grated him.

Typically a litany of both women's charms and interests would follow the formal introduction, but he realized that Garnet grew weary as the night wore on, as did the sea of names.

[crowned-jewel.livejournal.com]

Garnet looked at Vayne, mildly puzzled. How could one be both an enemy and ally? But once Ashe was within her sight, she knew she was going to have to face yet another of the friends she'd made under her pseudonym. She allowed Vayne to dispense with the formal introduction, more out of politeness and looking for her own words, than an actual need for such introductions.

"We've met before," said the queen, finally, with a sheepish smile to Ashe. "I apologize for my insistence of anonymity until now."

[mademyresolve.livejournal.com]

There was more to this than simple introductions - Vayne was trying to accomplish something through this meeting, and the stress of trying to figure out what his aim could be had Ashe utterly vexed. Such inner turmoil wasn't outwardly visible, however. At least, she wanted to deprive Vayne of the satisfaction of seeing how he'd confounded her.

Garnet (well, whilst posing as Dagger) had always been more than civil. Friendly, welcoming. The knowledge that such a person was Queen could only be reassuring and Ashe returned that smile, avoiding eye contact with the Archadian Lord. "No apology necessary," she said with a gentle shake of her head. "At times, there is a need for anonymity, whether voluntary... or obligatory." That last remark was, subtly and purposefully, aimed at Vayne.

[dynast-king.livejournal.com]

The private dig from Ashe was noted, although quite ignored on Vayne's part. He would not stoop to base cattiness like that Dalmascan shrew. Her disdain was evident, simply in the fact she could not manage the bare bones of civility without acting the sulky child. Dalmasca benefitted from her removal of power, that much was clear. He did privately consider that one would think the woman was raised in a barn, not in a charming (yet somewhat provencial) palace.

That the women knew each other, but not well enough for the queen's identity to have been known pleased the Archadian emperor. It meant that the Lady Ashe had not gone to the bother to seek out the royal, nor slander himself to Garnet. If she had any breeding whatsoever, she would refrain from starting now, at a party no less. Then again, her insurgents did lead a raid on the palace at his inauguration as Consul.

Vayne affected a polite and pleased expression. "It seems that my presence was not needed then. I suspected that you ladies would find much in common. It pleases me to see that it must be so." No, he would not be openly picking a fight, nor leveling underhanded jabs at Ashe. He was deriving far too much satisfaction from merely marking the differences between the royal women.

[crowned-jewel.livejournal.com]

However observant Garnet may have been, she did not detect any foul play amongst them. Ashe did not look terribly pleased, but her poker-face didn't set off any alarms, and of course, there had been that discussion about charm running through the house of Solidor, so Garnet could see no reason why they would not get along. Although that bit about 'a enemy and ally' continued to puzzle her, Garnet smiled modestly at Vayne.

"Needed or not, it's fortunate that you decided to introduce us," said the queen, then turning her attention back to Ashe, "You had mentioned you would be attending, and I'd hoped for a chance to speak to you again, and perhaps finally meet your husband."

Then, she glanced around the ballroom. "He is here, isn't he?"

[mademyresolve.livejournal.com]

In all honesty, Ashe had to agree with Vayne, in that she and Garnet did have much in common. Both were similar in age and had been charged with being figurehead of a nation, even if one was removed from her country and people now. Alongside that, Ashe did have an instinctual liking toward the other monarch.

"Yes, quite fortunate," came her short address to Vayne, as appropriately civil as she could bear. The Archadian's motives were frustratingly unclear to the princess and, as witnessed during their earlier meeting, he chose to visibly ignore all the past hostility between them. His charm was there, a lure, a spider weaving a web to ensnare some manner of gain.

Mention of her prince, however, motivated Ashe to brighten her smile. "I am glad of the chance, myself," she replied, another polite nod before casting a glance toward the direction from which he'd be returning. "And yes, Rasler is here; he would be honoured to meet you, of that I'm certain."

[dynast-king.livejournal.com]

Vayne personally cared little if the Nabradian prince were present or not, if he were even alive or not. The man's little country had served its purpose for his father, and by extension, himself. It had produced the first piece of nethicite to study so that it could then be manufactured by Draklor. If anything, he found the man's revival from the dead a convenient way to keep the Lady Ashe well out of his hair. He had a work to do here, which involved returning to his empire and putting down her little rebellion. The last thing he wanted or needed was her interference arising from some ridiculous sense of vengence.

Still, he remained silent, allowing the women their conversation without interruption. There was a point to be made here, that while the royals before him were similar, they were also a far cry apart as well. Differences which garnered his respect in the one, and disdain for the other.

[crowned-jewel.livejournal.com]

"Rasler..." Garnet tried the name on her tongue. Why did it sound familiar? Realization hit a moment later, and the expression change was quite obvious. "OH! Rasler! I met him earlier this evening. So he's your husband! I had no idea. Well, I had thought he might be some nobility, he was so polite, but this explains everything."

[mademyresolve.livejournal.com]

"He is my husband, yes, and the prince of Dalmasca's sister nation, Nabradia," Ashe explained, quite surprised to learn the two had already met. Though she smiled still, discussing this in front of Vayne, the man whose father's armies had brought a tragic end to Rasler's young life, was unspeakably painful for Ashe.

Concentrating on the present felt far more pleasant in that regard, as was focusing on Garnet as opposed to her... companion. "I believe I can speak for us both in wishing you many happy returns of the day; though I imagine Rasler already did so."

[crowned-jewel.livejournal.com]

"Yes, he did, but I thank you, all the same. Although in all honesty, I still can't believe how quickly time has gone by. It seems like not long ago I was celebrating my sixteenth birthday."

Although, if she was honest, that birthday had not had much celebration at all. Her face fell ever so slightly.

"Everything has changed a lot, in just a few years..." she mused quietly.

[mademyresolve.livejournal.com]

Ashe slowly lowered her gaze in respect of that remark - for it was one she could appreciate, all too well. However, she wasn't about to allow such regret to show through in front of Vayne.

"I understand," came her quiet words, followed quickly by an attempt at uplifting the other woman. "Your people certainly value you highly, to celebrate your happy occasion with such fervour."

[crowned-jewel.livejournal.com]

The young queen brought her attention back to Ashe; gone was the distant look in her eyes, the melancholy tone of voice, as though she'd simply closed it in a box.

"I hope that is the case... Surely, some of them would just be happy for a holiday from work." she was joking, just a little. "I do hope they're happy, though. This place is my home, and I want the best for everyone here."

Whether she'd been born the heir of Alexandria or not, this kingdom was as much hers as it was Queen Brahne's -- She loved this country, and it's people, and couldn't imagine simply abandoning the throne because she wasn't of royal blood.

Not that she hadn't thought about it, once. One, fleeting moment, throwing her crown to the pavement, and flinging her arms around a man she'd dared to hope was still alive, somewhere.

"But, enough about me. Has Rasler had any luck in finding employment yet? I'd hate to think he's still out chasing down monsters for petty gil, when you're drawing closer to the birth of your child."

[mademyresolve.livejournal.com]

Closer, ever closer. A little over two months, to be exact, and she and Rasler would have a little one to call their own, to cherish, to nurture. In order to have the means to support their family, the royal couple had been saving as much gil as possible, and were both eternally grateful to the owners of the inn for their continued hospitality and support.

It was then the princess sighted her husband through the crowd, engaged in conversation. After a lingering glance, her eyes flickered back to Garnet to answer. "Not monsters, no. The owners of our establishment have been kind, kind enough to find reason to pay him for aiding them in their workload."