bluh bluh huge ball

[thalassino]

Characters: Vatheon
Location: That Castle
Time: Evening, on Sunday
Style: Any
Status: OPEN. Threadjack, threadhop, spam away!

[ Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen of Vatheon— whatever your newfound stature may be, Prince, Princess, Knight, or Peasant, you will all receive a message on your SFC on the eve of Saturday regardless:

You are cordially invited to the castle for this evening's ball. In addition, you are all welcome to try and solve the riddle if it fancies you. It just may break the curse!

The invitation is unsigned, but its intentions are clear. Maybe you hadn't quite noticed the sizeable castle in the distance of the city that had sprung up, but this message would surely garner your attention toward it now.

Should you arrive at the castle, plenty of attractions await you:

Ballroom ❧ A very large and beautiful ballroom is lighted up, complete with a playing violin orchestra. While the curtains will be drawn during this event, there is a windowed view and exit on one side of the ballroom that leads to:

Smee's Rose Garden ❧ A broad and colorful spanse of a garden, complete with many paths and turns. Plenty of roses are arranged in great arches, which provide perfect little places should you need some privacy with your sweetheart. Anyone familiar will even tell you that the garden was purposefully designed for just that sort of thing.

The Riddle ❧ There is an inscription located on a noticeable plaque set in one of the garden's benches. It reads:

Two are necessary to break this curse
Riled up, upset, what kind of love?
Only this kiss will stop it from getting worse.
Look for a winged one is push comes to shove,
Look for a glance slightly dark,
Search for a pair in reluctant love.
One answers a call; that's your mark;
One longs for patria though adverse.

Dining Hall ❧ Connected to the ballroom is an extremely long hall that stretches as far as the eye can see, elegantly arranged as the dining area. Expensive and exquisite cuisine seem to be on the menu— try something new? Chances are you won't be eating from a selection such as this again anytime soon!

Dais ❧ There is a noticeable raised dais that is easily visible via any area within the ballroom. It's locked off from guests, though— what is it for...?

Do enjoy. ]

Comments

Who doesn't?

[devwocean]

[Dualscar looks around for a moment, searching for the source of the voice, and finally looks down. He frowns at the rodent for a moment]

Did you address me?

[withoutasign]

Yes. It's me, Signless!

[Look at how cute he is, Dualscar. Even a poop like you can't fail to be swayed by his adorableness.]

Why aren't you at the party with everyone else?

[devwocean]

[He stares down at Signless for a moment, considering just grabbing him and squeezing the life out of him. But it wouldn't be very satisfying. Maybe a little, but probably not worth it.

Adorableness has no power over him, obviously.

So he flicks his tail up as high as he can, accidentally-on-purpose splashing water all around.]

I don't havve legs.

[withoutasign]

[Heart of stone, that merman. Heart. Of. STONE.]

[Signless squeaks and backs away quickly, narrowly evading the splash zone.]

I see. Do you want me to bring you some food or something? Or I can simply stay out here and keep you company for a bit.

[devwocean]

[He sits back a little, but knows he shouldn't be startled by the suggestion.]

Wwhy do you do that?

[The words come unbidden, voicing his thoughts]

[withoutasign]

Do what?

[Signless sits back on his haunches and looks up at Dualscar, genuinely confused.]

[devwocean]

That. Wwhat you just did. [He waves a hand] Be nice to me and act like wwe're friends, wwhen wwe're clearly not and wwon't evver be.

[withoutasign]

We could be!

[Silly seadweller, Signless is everyone's friend!]

[devwocean]

No, wwe cannot. And you're nothin' but a fool if you believve it's possible!

[withoutasign]

Why not? Give me one good reason why we couldn't that doesn't have to do with the hemospectrum or the Empire.

[devwocean]

Those are fuckin' important reasons you can't just dismiss like that.

[withoutasign]

Maybe to you they are. To me, they're meaningless, and no barrier to why I can't be your friend.

[devwocean]

[That sort of stumps him for a moment. He frowns.

It's annoying and perplexing, because obviously if they're important to him, then they're important. If Dualscar can't be Signless' friend, then they can't be friends. But he doesn't get why Signless is trying so hard.]

Then it just showws that you're too stubborn for your owwn good.

[withoutasign]

You wouldn't be the first person to tell me that.

[Signless glances back over his shoulder, at the ballroom.]

Either way, you're stuck out here without company, and I happen to be passing by. So tell me... do you enjoy living under the sea?

[devwocean]

[Dualscar sighs and settles a little deeper into the water]

I don't livve under the sea. My hivve at home is half submerged, wwhich is more practical. But I don't go there, often... usually I'm on my ship.

[withoutasign]

Yeah?

[Signless settles down at the edge of the fountain, getting himself comfortable and ready to talk. He's done this enough times to know that one of the best ways to affect deep and lasting change is to get highbloods talking. Once they get to know a few lowbloods as individuals, they have more trouble holding to the hemospectrum.]

I have to admit, I'm a little jealous. I've often wondered what the world looks like under the water.

[devwocean]

[This is sort of weirding him out, but he isn't about to be a wiggler about it. He shifts a bit, too, getting comfortable as best he can and eyeing the little mouse]

You livve under the wwater, noww, though obvviously it's not the same as breathin' it.

[withoutasign]

Yes, that's true, but I'm not really a part of it, you know? There's always a barrier between me and the ocean.

[Signless' nose twitches.]

If you don't mind me asking, how do you do that anyway? Do you have to consciously switch between breathing water and breathing air?

[devwocean]

Wwe could alwways removve the barrier and see howw you like it.

[Why do you even care, Signless? Dualscar just keeps being baffled]

It's a natural instinct. You just... [He has to think about it for a second] Bloww out the air and breathe in differently to get the gills goin'.

[withoutasign]

Does it hurt?

[It sounds like it would hurt.]

[devwocean]

Not at all! [He's surprised by the idea, actually] Wwell, I suppose it might if your gills wwere damaged, or if you nevver wwent in the wwater and exercised the muscles.

[withoutasign]

Hmmmmm.

Which way do you like better? Or do you not have a preference?

[devwocean]

They're vvery different. [He's feeling weirdly uncomfortable about this line of questioning and he can't figure out why.] But I suppose I prefer bein' under the wwater. It's less practical, though, and it's not like I can spend all my time there. [Sarcastically] Otherwwise I wwouldn't be able to havve such wwonderful chats wwith the likes a you.

[withoutasign]

[Signless is just going to politely ignore that sarcasm.]

I suppose that's true. There aren't enough seatrolls for you to really populate the sea, is there? There must be vast parts of it where no one lives.

[Grin.]

Which is why you get to have conversations with the likes of me, right?

[devwocean]

True, though lots a other beings livve there. It's not like it's empty. But wwe couldn't vvery wwell rule if wwe had no real contact wwith our subjects, could wwe?

[He's just going to roll his eyes] Lucky for me.