07.01c: The Seventh Winter (Refreshments)

[Ruben]

"Seriously? I'm not sure what to take seriously anymore. You are aware that we spent 15 minutes discussing appetizers with a stranger who climbed out from beneath the table itself, and was dressed as though he were about to embark on a voyage to the frozen lands, are you not? There appears to be a level of absurdity here that only grows with each visit -- and the pomp tonight is just putting that into stark relief."

"Honestly, the one thing I feel certain about is that the room is aching for leadership -- and they'll take it wherever they can find it. Your "invitation" to the stranger tapped that need for a moment, but I wouldn't worry -- I think others around us are seeking to rise to that challenge. Our task won't be as simple as assuming a leader's mantle: No, we're going to be tasked with assessing the leader's worth -- and deciding whether to follow, advise, or flee."

[colomon]

"I'm... not sure whether I find that reassuring or not," Renny replies. "As for the weirdness... there's a lot of it, out there in Shadow. Only natural that some of it shows up here, where most are welcome and no one knows their place."

[Joshua]

The robed figure returns from the front of the room. He pauses to build up courage, before stiffly bowing to Renny. "Thank you my Lady. I thought they might execute me for being here without an invitation. I sort of snuck in." There's a light laugh, full of tight nervous energy. "I am Osmund, and I am sorry if I caused any problems. I won't embarrass you anymore."

[colomon]

"I'm Renny," she explains -- probably unnecessarily, but some formality is nice -- "and this is Ruben. I'm pleased to meet you properly. You have not caused me problems nor embarrassed me."

[Ruben]

"And you caused me no problems, either, friend. I hope my, ah, enthusiasm, was not too overwhelming," Ruben said, then allowed himself the deep laugh that he'd been suppressing for most of the evening thus far. But then he leaned in close to Osmund and Renny and dropped his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "My fellow traveller and I were just confessing to one another that we are also feeling off-balance at this party. Since you've spent more time with the hosts than either of us, can you shed any light on their intentions?"

[Joshua]

He looks between the two of you. "Why would someone so real be off balance?" He blinks and shakes his head. "This is a celebration of you, so the nobles and merchants can see the ones who control their destiny." The tone is reverent and genuine.

[colomon]

"I grew up in a town so small that you could add its population to this city and no one here would even notice," Renny points out. "My father is a fisherman, and I'm not even his eldest daughter. I learned to hunt small game and prepare the fish for the flake. It wasn't the sort of life to prepare you for the courtly world. It would be surprising if I wasn't sometimes off balance."

[Ruben]

"Ever the ingenue, eh, my friend?" Ruben joked.

Turning to Osmund, he again grew serious. "With all due respect, it's not at all clear the other guests see this evening the same way. We might as well be invisible, for all the attention being paid by the other diners. Not that I'm objecting of course - I far prefer to observe than to be observed, at least for the moment."

[Joshua]

Osmund looks between you... "But, Renny, you're the queen here... or at least a queen?" He shifts his weight back and forth, "Uh, should we sit down? It'd be rude to be standing when food arrives." He asks Ruben, "Do you have a title?"

[Wyvern]

Alys stops by the refreshments table after her card game with Benabik and Trina. Snagging a piece of the much-mentioned squid, she comments, "He's right, you know. Though it should come as no surprise that it takes an outsider to mention it; after all, as royalty, none of the lesser nobles here would dream of suggesting that you could possibly be rude. Or," she adds with a hint of humor, "At least not to your face."

"I am Lady Alystrakos Obsidia Sybaris. Though I've heard you prefer less formal titles, so shortening that to just 'Alys' won't insult me."

"If any of you would care to join me, I've found a few seats near one of the fires." She gestures towards a table that's a bit off-center, and fairly clearly selected for its excellent view of the rest of the room. In the unlikely event of someone assaulting the dining hall, it would be perfectly located for a diner to both notice and respond.