@Aiken Brudenell @Talinn Ryalor
Dusk gave her husband a sharp look and a squeeze of the shoulder as he implicitly chastised the young stoat for the slip in etiquette. It had long been a disagreement of theirs in how to handle such slights; Talinn, being from Fyador where decorum and respect were integral to the language, tended to be far more prickly about such things, while Dusk, coming from the noveau bourgeoise, saw it as beneath them to respond to such insults. That was what they had guards and servants for, after all. Still, Mr. Pritchard's date swiftly stepped in and restored a modicum of peace to the conversation, allowing her to relax.
"Thank you," she addressed Adelyn graciously. "I've heard many things about the expedition, and I count it a blessing that my husband returned alive - and mostly in one piece. All the pieces that matter to me, anyway," she added in a conspiratorial whisper, sharing a playful joke with the femme. Her eyes scanned over the pair, noting the discordance between their attitudes. "As for your Aiken, all is forgiven," she remarked breezily. "A young reporter, eager to make his mark? It brings me back to my youth and those heady days of ambition. I'm quite certain he'd have done very well for himself in the days of Vladimir I - though of course," she added, "it seems he's doing well for himself now too. If I may ask, how did you two become acquainted? I do so enjoy stories of young love."
~~~
@Vihmastaja @Jeshal the Ironclaw
Morgan opened her mouth to inform Vihma about Asta, Caden, and her family's connection, but was cut off by a todd making a comment about the cocktail glasses that was so absurd she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, aye," she commented, "it certainly gives a new meanin' to the phrase 'deep in their cups'," she remarked. She looked to Vihma, squeezing her paw in a promise to answer all her questions, before shooting the stranger another look. Her eyes widened as she saw the metallic claw he wore in place of a paw. "'Gates," she exclaimed, "an' I thought 'avin' a metal tube stuck in m' chest was painful. What's th' story on 'at one?"
~~~
@Matisse Dubois @Caden S. Freemont
Lily couldn't settle on whether or not she should feel grateful as the sable took the tray of appetizers off her paw; in the end, she settled for a brief, muttered "Thanks." She hesitated though, listening to the conversation about the pine marten's daughter. Something in her panged at the obvious pride in the marten's face and the empathetic delight that the sable expressed toward this stranger. Even monsters love their kits, she'd often heard said; what did that say about her own parents then?
She peeled away from the pair, fleeing both the conversation and the intrusive discordance of her own thoughts. She hurried back to the kitchens, looking for her fellow Venges in the mix of wait staff and cooks. With this large an event, several different businesses had been contracted to work together on the catering, and they'd been able to slip into the mix easily enough.
~~~
Daniil gratefully peeled away from Alwyn, heading straight for his lover. He'd been required to come in dress uniform, which meant stopping by the Ministry of War to retrieve it; plus, even with Alwyn and his aunt both in the know, Daniil didn't want to be too obvious yet that they were a pair. He noted Caden in conversation with another beast, and managed to slip between a few groups milling about to reach the pair. "My apologies for my tardiness," he remarked, glancing between Caden and the stranger, "and for interrupting. I don't believe we've met, Mr....?"
~~~
Marianna accepted Ivo's offer of a dance, her paw sliding down into his. "I would love that, my lord," she replied, the corner of her mouth tugging up playfully. "As long as you're willing to lead, that is," she added. "I should warn you, though- I am going to step on your toes." It had been many long years since Vito had tried to teach her to dance; the lessons had been few and sporadic, the todd more inclined in his sunset years to spend time with his blood family than with the pair of kits he'd reluctantly taken under his wing. Admittedly, Marianna hadn't made herself the most available either; her quiet resentment of Vito for stealing her from her birth mother's care had always left a certain sourness between them.
As they stepped onto the dance floor, a small amount of regret showed in Marianna's eyes as she looked up at Ivo. "I'm sorry," she apologized quietly. "I really should be able to turn it off and just relax." She sighed, admitting, "My mind doesn't like to let itself rest. It feels... selfish? Indulgent?" She shook her head before looking up at the todd, a small sparkle in her eyes. "I should just enjoy being here with you."
~~~
@Alwyn Ryalor @FinnianBrightfur
Mina Rose Brewer had counted it as a blessing when she'd been able to find work with an event catering company. That their first job was to cater the birthday celebration of a minister was, in a word, nerve-wracking. It had been well over a month since the destruction of her parents' tavern, and, though she'd never admit it, she was rusty. She also wasn't used to this outfit; the white shirt, waistcoat, and jodhpurs felt odd on her compared to the dresses and corsets she'd normally worn through her youth. She was still learning how to move in them - and, it seemed, failing a bit in the process.
Mina Rose yelped as, not seeing the todd kneeling to talk to a kit, she tripped over his tail. The tray of champagne flutes she'd been carrying went tumbling from her paws, glass breaking in a small cascade that, fortunately, did not land on anybeast around, but left the vixen shame-faced on the ground while the wealthy guests murmured, and a few clapped sarcastically at her performance. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" She apologized, scrambling to try to push the shards toward her tray, then yelping as one cut one of her fingers. "Owww!" She sucked at her injured finger, tears starting to come to her eyes. She looked to the pair of foxes, her tail curling around her legs as she knelt amidst the debris of her first real job. "I'm so, so sorry sir," she apologized again, her voice quavering on the edge of crying.
Dusk gave her husband a sharp look and a squeeze of the shoulder as he implicitly chastised the young stoat for the slip in etiquette. It had long been a disagreement of theirs in how to handle such slights; Talinn, being from Fyador where decorum and respect were integral to the language, tended to be far more prickly about such things, while Dusk, coming from the noveau bourgeoise, saw it as beneath them to respond to such insults. That was what they had guards and servants for, after all. Still, Mr. Pritchard's date swiftly stepped in and restored a modicum of peace to the conversation, allowing her to relax.
"Thank you," she addressed Adelyn graciously. "I've heard many things about the expedition, and I count it a blessing that my husband returned alive - and mostly in one piece. All the pieces that matter to me, anyway," she added in a conspiratorial whisper, sharing a playful joke with the femme. Her eyes scanned over the pair, noting the discordance between their attitudes. "As for your Aiken, all is forgiven," she remarked breezily. "A young reporter, eager to make his mark? It brings me back to my youth and those heady days of ambition. I'm quite certain he'd have done very well for himself in the days of Vladimir I - though of course," she added, "it seems he's doing well for himself now too. If I may ask, how did you two become acquainted? I do so enjoy stories of young love."
~~~
@Vihmastaja @Jeshal the Ironclaw
Morgan opened her mouth to inform Vihma about Asta, Caden, and her family's connection, but was cut off by a todd making a comment about the cocktail glasses that was so absurd she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, aye," she commented, "it certainly gives a new meanin' to the phrase 'deep in their cups'," she remarked. She looked to Vihma, squeezing her paw in a promise to answer all her questions, before shooting the stranger another look. Her eyes widened as she saw the metallic claw he wore in place of a paw. "'Gates," she exclaimed, "an' I thought 'avin' a metal tube stuck in m' chest was painful. What's th' story on 'at one?"
~~~
@Matisse Dubois @Caden S. Freemont
Lily couldn't settle on whether or not she should feel grateful as the sable took the tray of appetizers off her paw; in the end, she settled for a brief, muttered "Thanks." She hesitated though, listening to the conversation about the pine marten's daughter. Something in her panged at the obvious pride in the marten's face and the empathetic delight that the sable expressed toward this stranger. Even monsters love their kits, she'd often heard said; what did that say about her own parents then?
She peeled away from the pair, fleeing both the conversation and the intrusive discordance of her own thoughts. She hurried back to the kitchens, looking for her fellow Venges in the mix of wait staff and cooks. With this large an event, several different businesses had been contracted to work together on the catering, and they'd been able to slip into the mix easily enough.
~~~
Daniil gratefully peeled away from Alwyn, heading straight for his lover. He'd been required to come in dress uniform, which meant stopping by the Ministry of War to retrieve it; plus, even with Alwyn and his aunt both in the know, Daniil didn't want to be too obvious yet that they were a pair. He noted Caden in conversation with another beast, and managed to slip between a few groups milling about to reach the pair. "My apologies for my tardiness," he remarked, glancing between Caden and the stranger, "and for interrupting. I don't believe we've met, Mr....?"
~~~
Marianna accepted Ivo's offer of a dance, her paw sliding down into his. "I would love that, my lord," she replied, the corner of her mouth tugging up playfully. "As long as you're willing to lead, that is," she added. "I should warn you, though- I am going to step on your toes." It had been many long years since Vito had tried to teach her to dance; the lessons had been few and sporadic, the todd more inclined in his sunset years to spend time with his blood family than with the pair of kits he'd reluctantly taken under his wing. Admittedly, Marianna hadn't made herself the most available either; her quiet resentment of Vito for stealing her from her birth mother's care had always left a certain sourness between them.
As they stepped onto the dance floor, a small amount of regret showed in Marianna's eyes as she looked up at Ivo. "I'm sorry," she apologized quietly. "I really should be able to turn it off and just relax." She sighed, admitting, "My mind doesn't like to let itself rest. It feels... selfish? Indulgent?" She shook her head before looking up at the todd, a small sparkle in her eyes. "I should just enjoy being here with you."
~~~
@Alwyn Ryalor @FinnianBrightfur
Mina Rose Brewer had counted it as a blessing when she'd been able to find work with an event catering company. That their first job was to cater the birthday celebration of a minister was, in a word, nerve-wracking. It had been well over a month since the destruction of her parents' tavern, and, though she'd never admit it, she was rusty. She also wasn't used to this outfit; the white shirt, waistcoat, and jodhpurs felt odd on her compared to the dresses and corsets she'd normally worn through her youth. She was still learning how to move in them - and, it seemed, failing a bit in the process.
Mina Rose yelped as, not seeing the todd kneeling to talk to a kit, she tripped over his tail. The tray of champagne flutes she'd been carrying went tumbling from her paws, glass breaking in a small cascade that, fortunately, did not land on anybeast around, but left the vixen shame-faced on the ground while the wealthy guests murmured, and a few clapped sarcastically at her performance. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry!" She apologized, scrambling to try to push the shards toward her tray, then yelping as one cut one of her fingers. "Owww!" She sucked at her injured finger, tears starting to come to her eyes. She looked to the pair of foxes, her tail curling around her legs as she knelt amidst the debris of her first real job. "I'm so, so sorry sir," she apologized again, her voice quavering on the edge of crying.
