Homecoming (Closed)

[Growl]

Timestamp: Spring 2, 511 AV
Location: A Large Dining Hall Within Morwen's Palace

Several Vantha from all the different Holds were still filing in through the main door that led into Morwen's Palace. They were greeted by a series of ice sculptures, each carefully crafted by a Vantha they may or may not know. They wore their best attire and large smiles upon their lips, for they knew, today was the day their beloved Ice Queen, Morwen returned to her throne. It was the day that she returned to her people. Once the Vantha had stepped inside Morwen's palace, they find themselves in a large hall decorated with crystal snowflakes, and chandeliers of the clearest crystal, that sparkle in the light that trickles in through the large glass windows that lined the hall. The hall is long and narrow, although it doesn't feel that way. At the end of the hall are two large doors of dark wood. Carved into the center of the wood is a series of snowflakes, swirling around merrily, towards the polished silver door handles. The door on the right, has been left open for guests to trickle through, the one on the left, is locked. As soon as guests step through the door, they are greeted by the sound of music playing softly in the background, and people laughing. They will find themselves in a large hall filled with eight tables, one for each hold. The tables are covered in long, white cotton table cloths, which have a thin sheet of lace around the edges. Within the lace is a series of snowflakes, none of which are exactly alike. On the top of the large, rectangular wooden tables, in the center of all their magnificence lies a single sculpture made of ice. Each table holds a large snowflake crafted out of ice, and each is slightly different to represent how no two holds are exactly the same, even though they do have their similarities. Long, thin silver and pale blue candles of varying heights line the tables every few feet or so. Their pale orange flames flicker delicately, adding to the heat and excitement of the moment. Nestled in-between the candles are baskets containing fresh loaves of bread cut into thin slices. Next to these lie small bowls of butter mixed with salt and other spices, as well as slender butter knives. Surrounding the perimeter of the table are a number of white plates, with a golden line around the edges. In the center is a single, large snowflake. On the left side, is a silver fork tucked over a dinner napkin, on the right a knife and spoon. Wine glasses lie just slightly north of every plate, waiting to be filled with either red or white wine. The bottles wait, largely unopened towards the center of every table. The children, or those who don't wish to drink, may ask for a glass of milk or hot cocoa. The first coarse should be served soon, and perhaps, even Morwen will appear, for she has not yet been spotted. Notes : Hockay, so sit with your Hold, unless you are an outsider, in which case, you can sit wherever you'd like, as long as you find an empty seat. The Winterflames are catering, so if any of you guys want to help with that, ask and I can have you be a server of sorts. The Snowsongs and anyone else who wants to work on their musical skill is free to play. Right now, the song I linked is the one going on in the background, it will change eventually though. Just note, that the people playing music will be changed out every two hours so that they may rest and eat as well. Feel free to dance, eat and be merry! Lets get this party started, 'cuz Morwen is back in town!

[Stitch]

Stitch stared at the ice sculptures, his Auristic eyes focused fully on them, marveling at the natural creations. How had someone managed to take a block of ice, and actually turn it into something so... pretty? He wanted to reach out a hand and trace the curves of each statue, just to make sure his eyes weren't lying to him... but he doubted that anyone would approve of that. Closing his slack-jaw, running a hand over his face to briefly hide his blushing cheeks, Stitch continued to step a little deeper into the Palace, his head whipping about like a little boy who had just walked into a new playground. This place was massive, and beautiful, and there were just so many people. And from what Stitch could tell, they were all dressed quite elegantly! Self-consciously blushing again, Stitch rose a hand to the bow-tie wrapped around his neck, adjusting it appropriately. He was dressed simply, with a white-button up shirt and gray suspenders, a striped grey and black sleeveless sweater vest pulled on over that. A matching pair of grey and blacked striped suspenders clothed his legs, and he had taken quite a bit of time to polish a new pair of black shoes, just for this event. Even so, he felt underdressed. He ducked his head low, suddenly feeling as if every eye was on him. The only thing really out of place about the blind man were the bandages wrapped around his eyes, and that in itself was probably drawing a few glances, just not as many as the paranoid Stitch was likely assuming. His cheeks on fire, his mind second-guessing why he had come here, he hurriedly made his way down the long hallway to enter the open door on the right. The minute he stepped through the door, his jaw dropped again. Priskil, he wasn't suited for these sort of events. He couldn't help it though. The long and majestic tables, the gorgeous ice carvings, all the people... it was just a breath-taking and beautiful sight. To his Auristic eyes, it was a melting pot of colors and tastes, of smells and feels. It was a soothing nirvana to his senses, and managed to relax the blushing blind man, if only a bit. Once again adjusting the somewhat tight bow-tie, Stitch stepped deeper in the main room, trying to find where he should sit. Was there a group of people that were equally as awkward as him, so he could fit in? Remembering to close his jaw a bit quicker this time, he aimlessly walked around, trying to figure out where to go. He had just wanted to come to worship the Goddess a bit, and to give a little praise in her name... as her people had been so very kind to him. Morwen had chosen a good place to rule over, and if she was anything like the Vantha that she raised... then she was likely a stunning Goddess. Smiling a bit to himself, Stitch finally chose a place to sit, finding a far and lonely corner of one of the tables, and just scooting himself in there. He eyeballed the bread and butter with some hunger, but decided to wait until someone else close by decided to eat. When a waiter tapped his shoulder and asked what he would drink, Stitch quickly asked about the options other than wine. Both cocoa and milk sounded delicious. Waiting a bit for more people to come in, Stitch merely sat there, bobbing his head back and forth to the pretty music, waiting on his beverage. He should have brought Malia. He asked her to come, but a "we'll see" had likely been a no. Oh well. He knew that the idea of a social gathering wasn't the most exciting thing for the stoic Nuit.

[Malia]

„We’ll see“, she had said while scribbling notes on some piece of parchment. It was her standard answer when she didn’t want to be disturbed, when she thought of other things. At that time, she had actually made a mental note of buying a real journal soon to record her ideas and project plans while at the same time jotting down the concept of an idea to animate another object. Stitch and their Vantha hosts had seen her either working at the Menagerie or hunched over some kind of object mumbling to herself – or talking with it – and with chalk lines encircling her. People suspected she was a bit odd and rumor had gotten around.

“We’ll see”, she had said while in the middle of her task, but as soon as she had written down everything that was on her mind, she found herself with some free time at hand and no Stitch to talk to. Where had he gone again? Ah, the festival. Homecoming they called it.

After a moment of considering the question, Malia decided to give it a try and have a look at it. Several reasons lured her into the decision: First, inspiration for new projects didn’t come from nothing. She needed to engage in some activities, excluding Animation, to get fuel for her work. Second, having never been in Avanthal before, she was intrigued by the local culture. Even living among the Vantha had proved to be different. Communal living in large Holds was common. Their leader was a queen and a Goddess, residing in a Palace for three quarters of the year. And after Her long absence Morwen had returned. The third reason was as simple as that: Never had Malia seen a palace or a queen before. She wondered how Morwen ruled Her people. A deity and mortals – how did that work exactly?

At a loss regarding fine attire, Malia had dressed as well as possible. The ornaments of a turquoise blouse curled around her thin, yet healthy-looking form, followed by black trousers and leather boots of similar color. Still, she wore the dark grey cloak she could usually be seen in. Somehow she kept appearances up, although she had gotten used to ignoring the cold. She had untied her shimmering red hair and briefly run a comb through it, so that it fell over her shoulders in a straight line.

Inspecting the ice sculptures, she wondered how they had been constructed. Did the Vantha know magic? Her mind, trained on Animation, started turning over the question of whether ice objects could be animated to move. Certainly one had to insert joints and breaks here and there...

Lost in thought, she entered the hall and let her gaze wander over the table. She automatically looked for the man with the bandages across his eyes. However, so many Vantha had gathered and so many colors filled the place that the Nuit couldn’t discern anything. To her, it was chaos, moving, breathing and living chaos. Not exactly what she had hoped to find. But then, what did she expect?

Malia continued to slowly stroll through the hall, taking her time, observing the people. After having crossed the entire hall, she finally detected Stitch in a corner. What a surprise: He was sitting alone. Approaching from behind – although she supposed his weird senses would notice her –, she touched his right shoulder, walked past and sat down to his left. “I thought you to be more socially inclined”, she said quietly. Oh, there wasn’t even food or a drink on his plate. What was that?

So she ordered a drink for him, white wine. It probably was her way of having fun, choosing food for the living.

[Darren]

Already seated and idling waiting for Morwen's arrival Darren was for the most part utterly bored with the usual decoration and attentiveness that went along with the ordeal. Like most Vantha he cherished the Ice Queen and everything she has done for the people of Avanthal but his aversion to formal events was still shown in this event. "If I had it my way I would just have it that everyone gives her a hug and lovingly welcome her without all this prancing around" he mumbled under his breathe. He pulled at the collar of dress shirt before finally he was as comfortable as he can get, showing no indication of embarrassment or shame in his actions. His eyes went around the hallway noting the usual decorations that were put up ever year in preparation of Morwen's arrival. There were some new touches of course, the snowflakes that symbolized the different holds was certainly new but otherwise it was all a very familiar scene to the disillusioned Vantha. "Hmm I certainly hope I can find some entertainment while this event goes on" he mused to himself as he strolled around freely. He met with some familiar acquaintances, spent a good few minutes slowly drinking his milk and another few admiring the new manner of dress the woman had to offer. All very pretty and beautiful attire these people wear, he thought as he turned to look at the newer arrivals, but none of them can truly match the serene beauty Morwen commands. He blushed as he tried to make it less obvious that he has had a boyhood crush he had on the goddess when he first saw her. It was after all the only reason he came to homecoming. It was one of the relatively few times he was able to see her freely, since he was never able to come up with a good reason to see her any other time she was here. At least here he wouldn't stand out too much when everyone cheered and showed their appreciation to her arrival. So a bit more time passed and Darren found himself melancholy mood near the Frostfawn table, doing the usual scanning of attractive gowns and dresses, looking slightly less than interested in the preceding.

[Growl]

A slender Vantha with spiked black hair, intermixed with the occasional dark blue streak came up to the head of the band and tapped him on the shoulder. He whispered something in the man's ear, and a second later, the musicians had all stopped playing. It was nearly silent in the hall now, save for those who were still talking, incapable of realizing that the music had ended, and they should shut up now. The Vantha who had interrupted the music cleared his throat, his eyes sparkled, a deep violet. "Would everyone please quiet down?" he called, hoping that those towards the back of the room could hear him. After a few moments, all eyes were on him, and the room was quiet. "The first course is about so be served, so if everyone could take to there seats it would be quite helpful." After the man had finished speaking, he gave a little bow before disappearing out of the double doors at the end of the hall. As soon as he was gone, the musicians began playing a slightly faster version of their last song, and within minutes, a long line of servers had walked through the double doors. Each held a silver platter in their palms. Always on the right hand. Atop the platter was a lid, also of silver. The top, had a small handle, in order to lift it off. The servers walked around to all of the tables, and pulled off the lids of the dishes. They lay them in an empty space, before placing a bowl of soup in front of every person. The soup had a milk and cream base, and contained various spices as well as fresh fish. Steam rose above each bowl in thin little wisps. "Enjoy," each server said with a smile, after serving everyone, and picking up the lid, and then walking out of the door to leave everyone to their supper. The music continued to play as it had been for several minutes as people began to lift spoonfuls of soup into their mouths. Everything seemed peaceful, until the music began to pick up the pace, and the flutes stopped. As did the violins and the cellos. They were replaced by the violent banging of the drums, a fast beat. The music sounded tribal, like something from a far, far away land. A few seconds later came a procession of five Vantha. Two women in the front, followed by a man, and then two more women. The man was the tallest, at no more than 5'8. The women were all relatively similar in size, no more than 5'4. The man was muscular, the women curvier, but still muscular looking, at least in the arms. They each had long, black hair, that was tied back in a tight braid. The dancers walked in time with the music. Rotating their bodies slightly at the hips, jingling series of interwoven light blue and white cloth with golden coins tied to the ends. The cloth had been tied randomly around their bodies, in an oddly appealing fashion. The dancers were barefoot, and held their hands out before them. Their hands were rapped along three foot long poles, each end of which was lit in fire. As of now, they showed no expression on their faces, as they carried the burning poles, letting them run vertically. Thin wisps of grey smoke shrouded their determined faces as they walked towards the musicians, stopping only when they reached them, in a straight line. They faced the tables as they stood, a few feet apart from one another. They stood silently for a while, after assuming their positions, simply staring at the crowd. And then they moved- first stomping the ground with their right foot, and then with the left, in time with the beating of the drums. The dancers continued to stomp, to wiggle their hips for a few moments, before beginning to rapidly twirl their fire sticks in time with the music, in a clockwise fashion. Orange flame seemed to glow and twist, a mesmerizing effect as grey smoke spiraled into the air, lingering just beneath the ceiling, buying its time before its escape. The dancers twirled the sticks faster and faster before the woman all the way on the left stepped forward. She tossed her stick into the air, allowing it to twirl around and around as it flew. She turned around and then caught it as it came back down. She shuffled back into place. The woman to her right stepped forward, and did as the dancer before her had done. The man went next, until they had reached the end of the line, at which point, they repeated the process going in the opposite direction. Then the beat of the drums grew faster, the dancer's movements following. They were twisting the fire sticks so rapidly, and stepping so furiously, fluidly, that it was impossible to follow their movements. Everyone in the hall seemed to be in awe, as the music stopped. There was a moment of silence as the dancers bowed, and then straightened their bodies out. They blew on the ends of their sticks, extinguishing them. Smoke rose into the air as they stepped out of the hall, more than likely to change into something more comfortable. OOCOkay guys, feel free to enjoy the meal... and the dance. Sorry I couldn't find music again. Since I am sick, it may be a bit before I post again. If all three of you post and I have not within a week or two, feel free to post another round since this thread is based largely on socialization, at least in this portion. So talk, dance, have fun! EAT! Also, Darren, you are already taking part in a thread on this date. So you may want to square that away before you post again.

[Malisys]

Malisys shuffled into the palace in a hurry. He heard music playing inside, and realized he was a bit late. He had a great deal of trouble finding his dress clothes, but managed to find a button-up dress shirt, dress pants, and relatively nice shoes among his belongings. Everyone was socializing and enjoying themselves, rightfully so. He, like most other Vantha, loved Morwen's Homecoming dearly. The queen was kind, and generous, and seeing her always left Malisys with a warm, comforting feeling in his chest. Suddenly, a male Vantha approached the center of the stage housing the band. He announced that food would be on its way, so Malisys made haste to his table with the Coolwaters. He quickly found his seat and sat down, causing his peers to tease him softly about the time. The waiters hadn't arrived yet, so the young Vantha looked around to admire the beauty of the palace and take note of where each hold was sitting. The Winterflames seemed to be sitting close to the action, most likely because they were taking care of the food. He saw some members of the Frostfawn clan on the other side of the hall, as well. His eyes continued to drift around the room until he saw two guests, sitting alone. Neither appeared Vantha in origin, at least, he didn't know either of them. One of them was a male human and seemed to have a bandage wrapped around his face or head, Malisys couldn't tell. The other was a woman, appearing human too. He waved his hand at them, trying to gesture for them to come over. Everyone else seemed to be too enthralled by Morwen's return or the stories of their peers to notice the two guests. Just then, Malisys received a tap on the shoulder. A waiter was standing there, impatiently waiting for him to clear a space for his soup. He quickly sat back in his chair, allowing the waiter to place his soup down. The man grunted in mild agitation, but was still polite with his words. "Er... Thank you," mumbled the Vantha, embarrassed that he didn't notice the Winterflame waiter before now. He looked back toward the two outsiders, but couldn't seem to find them again. The music abruptly halted, causing the Vantha's eyes to shift immediately to the stage. A group of five dancers came out and began to dance in exotic-looking outfits to foreign-sounding music. It was an interesting spectacle, to the say the least. Malisys watched intently as the dancers began to fling fire-tipped poles around and catch them dexterously. A few hushed "Ooohs" and "Ahhhs" could be heard from the crowd as the dancers performed the seemingly dangerous feats. After a few minutes, they stopped. The crowd was silent for a few moments, then a few claps could be heard around the Palace. Malisys joined in, amazed by what he'd seen. After the dancers we off stage, he sat back down and began to eat his soup.

[Malia]

While the crowd stirred and people exchanged small talk or stories, Malia was quieter than the rest. In contrast to the lively Vantha, she liked to observe and analyze the situation before she participated in any conversation and meddled with strangers.

So she didn’t have anything to do when the first course was announced. When the waiter came around and offered her soup, she raised her hands and shook her head, indicating that she wouldn’t eat. Surprise bloomed on the waiter’s face, but then he simply nodded, smiled and moved on. Malia observed him, trying to read his mind. Was he wondering why she didn’t eat? Did he suspect an illness, lack of hunger or anything else? The question wasn’t really one of interest to Malia, but she liked to play around with the pulsers’ minds when there was nothing else to do. They were so instinctive, so flighty! There was nothing that changed as fast as their emotions, and the Vantha even displayed them so readily through her eye colors!

When looking around, she caught sight of a Vantha with short hair and dressed in black. He was waving to her, gesturing for the two of them to come over. Malia’s eyes widened a little, revealing a glint of blue and red in their dark depths.

However, before she could make up her mind, everyone turned to the stage. Heavy drums replaced the lightness of strings and flutes. As the dancers entered the stage, the fire in their hands was mirrored in everyone’s eyes, and their breathtaking performance didn’t cease to excite the audience. Even Malia was slightly taken aback at the creativity and skill of the fire dancers. Never had she seen such a beautiful show, had always thought those were pastimes for rich pulsers. However, within the Hold structure of Avanthal, everyone seemed to give and take in some sort of bartering system, helping one another through the harshness of an eternal winter. For Malia, it was of interest how the community worked together – in fact it was the single thing that interested her most about the Vantha, along with their color-changing eyes.

While she was lost in thought, the performance came to an end and clapping could be heard. Malia didn’t clap. Instead her mind was already fixed on something else. Everyone returned to spooning their soups, but Malia was left with nothing to do. Even Stitch seemed to warm up a little, physically as well as mentally. He’d soon be lost in a conversation with the Vantha next to him, the Nuit supposed.

However, she found herself free to wander since she wasn’t restrained by the need to eat. Raising, she left her companion and made her way across the hall. The Hold structure seeped through everything the Vantha did, so she detected with some effort that she was walking towards the Coolwater table.

When she had reached the Vantha who had waved to her earlier, she got seated and nodded her greeting. “Hello. I understand you gestured for me to come over. Are you bored?” Blunt as always, she tried to assess the emotions behind his olive features. He was well-toned and muscular, but almost all Vantha were. What Malia was searching for in every person she met... that was something entirely different. Some kind of strength of mind. Even now, she was trying to find out whether that Vantha possessed what she was searching for in all of Mizahar.

[Darren]

The music stopped much to Darren's dismay as he looked up to see what the orator had to say. He pursed his lips dissatisfied that the pleasant music had been cut off short. Decent music was appreciated by the Vantha, even more so when he recalls the individual singing and musical composition by the more novice members of the hold. The soothing music helped drown out all the unfortunate encounters he had while running around Avanthal and now it was gone. But the prospect of food brightened his mood just as quickly as he hurried to take his seat. The upcoming soup did wonders to Darren's taste buds, the creamy composition felt like puffs of delicious air that he literally inhaled. The soup didn't have a long life, lasting for barely two minutes Darren smacked his lips in delight as he gave a quick nod to the waiters who finally finished serving everyone. He refused any other offers of seconds for the soup, it did it's job. Happily humming a soft tune to himself, he laid back on his seat as he took a long glance around once more. Ah the music is back! Good things come in groups don't they? he thought happily as he watched the others finish up their appetizers. I already seen the what the Frostfawns got. Well... most of them. He quickly moved to scanned the table to see a familiar face when a sudden flash stole his attention. He didn't notice the change of music nor the people moving to the middle of the room, when he was focused on "certain" tasks. But the fire did the trick. Naturally his eyes were pulled to the light, watching the intricate dance the performers displayed. He noted the set discipline between them, the blank expressions they had during the whole performance. Every aspect of the dance impressing him, awkwardly trying to bob his head in time with the circling sticks. Then suddenly it was over, they stood still as the music suddenly stopped. Darren's jaw left slightly ajar, outlining the wow response he had to the dancers. He blinked twice as the dancers finally moved out, still partial in disbelief of the spectacle shown. "Hehe... Wow! That was great!" he stammered to his nearby Hold members. A chorus of agreement followed before the indistinct chatter followed. The sudden chatter that followed confused Darren as he watched others start up a completely random conversation with one another. Already the strange happening approached him. "So what did you think about the performance?" He turned to see a friendly looking man stare at him. That really put him off his guard. For some reason he found himself fearing the gentle looking man. He fumbled as he finally realized that he was making the other man wait. "Yyea... that was erm... good..." he stammered. He was given a blank stare before the other man gave him an incriminating before the two turned away from each other. Sighing at his less then passable social skills, he hunched over as his eyes scanned the different table. Maybe there would be someone who would come off as approachable.

[Growl]

After the fire dancers had filed out, a fresh set of Snowsongs returned to the front of the hall to take their place. They were a simple orchestra, of no more than ten, who played a simple, relaxing song. Something along the lines of a serenade, filled with the sound of the violin coupled with the flute. It was simply an invitation to sit down, enjoy yourself, and eat. Darren: As Darren glanced around at the other tables, he began to realize just how intent on eating most of the other Vantha seemed to be. Just how happy they were, how everyone seemed to have broken off into small groups, where they laughed and ate, and talked about things he could only guess at. A small part of him stung; a part of him longed for someone to talk to, and hoped that one of his friends would pop up and rescue him from his mounting level of loneliness. If only... A chill shot up Darren's spine as he felt someone's cold, bare flesh brush up against his back. "I'm so sorry," the woman muttered, her voice low, barely audible above the music. "My hands are so cold... sorry to make you shiver. Are you alright?" she asked. Should Darren turn to face the woman that had spoken to him, he would find a short woman of little more than five feet tall. Although, she would seem to tower over him due to his being seated, and to her close proximity to him. Her almond colored skin would glow faintly in the light, while her eyes would flash a playful golden yellow, surrounded by a thin rim of ruby red. They'd seem to sparkle in the light of the candles. Her long white dress, which fell into a pool of white fabric upon the floor, simply accentuated her long, delicate features. In a way, the fire would make Faycia seem so very inviting, while the color of her dress would make her seem so very cold. She would simply stare down at Darren, waiting. If he took to long to speak, she would move on, but should he engage her in conversation, she may stick around for a short while. Malia and Malisys: The last of the servers were beginning to refill empty glasses of wine, while removing empty bottles from the table to keep them out of the way. They weaved their way around the table, away from Malia, as though she carried some sort of strange disease, and that by touching her, they too, would catch it. As the nuit settled into her seat at the table, those closest to Malisys grew all the more uncomfortable. Perhaps they could sense her presence; feel her gaze settling into their backs as they attempted to eat their food in peace. Whatever it was, their discomfort was apparent, for their muscles seemed rather tense, and perhaps the nuit herself, or even the Vantha who had called her over to his table, would realize that it would be awhile before they got used to the idea that the undead was sitting among them. Assuming they got used to the idea at all. So perhaps; it would be best, if the nuit did all that she could to try and blend in, make herself unknown. OOCSorry for the delay guys. And also, Malisys and Malia, sorry for the shorter post for you guys. Um... you were already conversing and I didn't just want to but in. Darren- have fun with Faycia. There is a wiki page on her and her husband Drakal if you need something to reference.