"In -- out -- a little farther in -- that's right. Now, just drop it wherever you want." That's Duke Malcolm that's doing a terrible job of directing two of his household guards as they manuever a sofa into the dining hall. Literally, they listen and do as bid. Setting it anywhere. Then, Malcolm's digging a shoulder into the velvet and shoving the sofa into its place on the opposite side of the fireplace. It clashes-and-matches in a charming neo-noble way. "It's fine." He nods, grinning. "All set for guests, right Jenn?"

Attendants are darting this way and that through the hall, seeing newcomers in and making sure they are served a drink of choice as quickly as possible. The table is open seating, but it seems like the meal is very casual and attendants are there to provide those that want to eat rather than courses being served one after another. Jennyva too is here, never settling down at one spot for too long and is stationed at the door. "That's perfect! Yes right there. That shouldn't be in our way. I mean as long as no one slides in behind the darts while drunk people are throwing right? You ready Mal?" She's all nervous but positive energy and great big smiles, practically bouncing as she stands in one place. Or, you know. Trying to.

2 House Deepwood Guards, Mortimer Ridgewattle the Third arrive, following Grady.

Evaristo arrives early, one of the first guests entering. He's brought quite a large gift, and hasn't bothered wrapping it up - it'd be hard to do so. The chest he is bringing is helped inside with some of the servants, but he is carrying one side himself. "Duke Shepherd, Lady Shepherd, I brought a little something. I just can't resist a nice chest, myself," he says with a rascally smile. "Thought this one might be good to throw some old junk in when you get it, right?" he says, the chest set down with a thud. The captain then bows, scarf sweeping across the floor.

Evaristo drops polished chest of the dagger and rose.

Desiree steps inside with and pauses a moment. She looks around with a confident smile as she takes in the decor. Her hair is perfectly styled, and she wears a black gown. Once she gets a drink she makes her way to a seat.

"Well as a comparison, while all tariffs are taxes, there are plenty of taxes that aren't..." The sound of Wyatt's voice is clear as he explains something to an assistant and then stops abruptly as he walks into the dining room and sees everyone, apparently at a loss for words. "Oh. People." He then snaps a finger, "Right! The dinner! Yes, of course." He straightens, "I knew that."

Slightly warmer spring weather means that Scipio Whisper's finally able to put aside his wool items and wear more event-appropriate silk, to his visible relief. That, or he just looks relieved to have navigated his way successfully to the dining hall. His pacing path suggests he's inclined to greet their hosts, but with them currently occupied, he takes his time regarding the surroundings, gaze lighting on Desiree, already seated, with a quick nod. "My lady," he murmurs, with a slight bow.

1 Greenmarch Guard, Soraya, the out of place Lycene lady's maid arrive, following Margret.

"Hey - hey, if anyone's moving around when drunks are gonna throw darts, cousin --" Malcolm informs his cousin with a broad smile, shrugging his shoulders. "We'll tell 'em it's a Graypeak right of passage, quietly summon a Mercy and send Wyatt to fix it. Somehow. With words, undoubtedly." With a vague wave of his hands when he hits the _words_ portion of this opinionating. Then, he spots a chest - a guest - and he waves at the rest. "Hey there! Nice to meet you. Yeah, yeah. I'm Duke Malcolm Shepherd - that's Lady Jennyva Shepherd. It's nice to meet you." With a grin at Evaristo, then he turns and offers a well-practiced bow toward Desiree. "It's a pleasure, my lady. Thank you for visiting Shepherd manor."

It's by pure coincidence that Simon enters the dining room just behind Evaristo, gracefully side-stepping around the man and his massive chest. "Captain," he tips his head in a nod as a grin splits across his features. "That's a mighty divine chest," he notes, before his attention slides to Jennyva and Malcolm. "The room looks good. Fit for a party!"

Wyatt waves his hands in a warding gesture towards Malcolm while trying to mouth the word, "NO!" several times and hoping it isn't noticed, he moves towards the bear claw hearth while rubbing his temple.

Wyatt has joined the by the bear claw hearth.

Desiree tilts her head and smiles as she turns to look at Scipio. "Hello." She continues to smile as she speaks to Malcolm. "Hello, it's nice to be here, and I'm certainly impressed with what I've seen of your manor."

"Hello and welcome Captain Evaristo!" Jennyva says chipperly, "It's a lovely chest, thank you! The Shepherds will cherish it indeed." And then, as Desiree comes in, she too gets a bright warm smile, "Welcome my lady! Come in, come in. Thank you for joining up." Then there's a brother entering. Wyatt gets a playful elbow as he passes by. "Yes. Thank *you* for pulling your nose out of the ledgers. I'm glad you got away with no papercuts. And Simon! You made it!" She practically bounces, seeing new and familiar faces arrive.

Malcolm's more than content to wave wildly at more folks: Wyatt, Scipio, and Simon in no particular order, cupping a hand around his mouth to shout: "SHOW, cousin Wyatt? SHOw 'em what? This is the only room that's fit for showing guests right now." With a sheepish smile after confessing this, he looks aside to address Desiree, "Yeah? Well, this is the only impressive room right now, my lady. My cousin Jennyva's work, this is."

Lots of serious-looking knights in rather distinctive Crown tabards troop in, all immaculately polished and presentable. Is it a raid? Nah, it's just local highlord and all-around monarch King Alaric Grayson IV, striding in confidently like he owns the place. "Greetings, my subjects!" he proclaims regally as his retinue fans out to provide the usual defensive posture. Directed towards Malcolm, he approaches with an effortlessly charming smile. "Duke Malcolm, it's a pleasure to visit Shepherd Manor for the first time. Duke Gregor, gods rest his soul, wasn't much for hosting social events. Or visiting the capital often, at that," he declares as he quickly draws closer with an energetic stride. Impeding doom never looked so personable.

Impending, even.

Grady makes his way into the dining room, two bottles cradled - one under each arm, held as though these are precious. Eyes alight on the Duke and he meanders in that way, though he pauses as Alaric greets them. Then he joins them, offering a bow of greeting. "Your Majesty. Duke Malcolm. Welcome," he says to Malcolm, holding out those precious bottles as offering. "I thought you might enjoy some of Deepwood's cider as a way to drink yourselves into being right at home." He grins. "Im Lord Grady Deepwood, and it's nice to meet you - your family, all of you."

"Drunk? And darts? This is going to be great," Evaristo notes. "Simon! Good to see you again," he says, perking up and nodding amicably at the other bard, before he turns attention to the hostess, unfolding that ridiculous scarf which really isn't needed any longer, the weather doesn't quite demand wool. He beams a smile at Jennyva and gievs her a little charming wink, but then steps aside to leave room for the King, his jaw dropping a little.

"It's a pleasure to meet you--" Scipio starts to say to Desiree, but falls silent when she addresses the Duke. The Whisper's watching with interest, giving a bow when Malcolm's glance happens to pass by him. "Duke Malcolm," the Whisper greets easily. He doesn't look like he's looking for a glass of something, but a distraction -- and it comes in the form of the King. Although the King's focused on greeting their host, the Whisper bows anyway. Maybe he can tell? "Your Majesty," is murmured effortlessly.

"But I did get papercuts. One of the parchments must have been out to get me, and in fact..." Wyatt starts to explain to his sister when the king arrives, and he cuts off what he was saying to drop into a suitably low bow towards his majesty. He then clears his throat and glances towards Malcolm then back at everyone else, "As his majesty says, Duke Gregor was not overly fond of social events. So my cousin meant the rest of the estate is not really prepared for visitors."

Raymesin makes his way into the Dining Room shortly after the Monarch's entourage, standing out as a crow among birds of paradise. Clad in scuffed black leathers that've seen better days, either he's a servant who didn't get the memo, or lost - or actually a guest, however badly he fits in with the silk and satin and jewel-clad crowd. His first attempt to become one with the scenery is foiled by a low-hung boar's head; he moves a pace to the side and tries again.

"Drunk is the only way to play darts," says Simon, about to perhaps launch into a story when the King arrives. There's a clearing of his throat before he folds himself into a suitably low bow, staying in such a position for at least a solid sixty seconds. Then? Then he finds a place to scatter - the sofa way over there is looking great this time of day!

Simon has joined the a comfortable blue sofa with ivory pillows.

Desiree grins as she looks to Jennyva. "I'm happy to be here." She nods with a look of amusement. "I remember those days back when I came to Arx, but that just makes this room all the more impressive." She glances to Scipio after taking a sip of her drink. "It's also a pleasure to meet you. I'm Lady Desiree Wyrmguard."

"He weren't much for anythin' from what I heard, your Majesty, short of blood-feuds and holding grudges. But - eh - I didn't know him much. At all. It's hazy, you know?" Malcolm waves his right hand in a so-so gesture at Alaric before he simply thrusts his hand out toward the king. Toward the king. For a handshake. As one does, obviously. "Or should I bow, your Majesty? Truthfully, you know, I was doing a lot of climbing around in the Gray Forest before this --" explains the mud on those boots "-- and I'm more for handshakes. Generally speaking." A beat, and he's prepared for more greeting,"Well met, Lord Grady Deepwood. Thank you for bringin' ciders along." Then with a wave and smile for Scipio. Then for Raymesin. "Grab some food! If you're party-crashing, it's best to do it with a glass in one hand and a plate in the other. Especially with FREE food."

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Daniella before departing.

Scipio clearly catches the 'drunken darts' reference only belatedly, since his gaze turns to watch Simon with a furrowing of brow. His weight shifts, head tilting, before Desiree's words draw him back into the conversation. "Scipio Whisper, my lady," he introduces himself to her, then his gaze flickers back towards the Duke... thrusting a hand towards the King. He manages not to wince, but he does look away, deliberately -- or maybe it's just the party crashing reference -- he's glancing down -- having partaken of neither food nor drink.

Soon after Alaric arrives, but with enough space provided to suggest they are not part of the King's entourage, is Margret. The Greenmarch lady limps slowly into the dining room, and her eyes are instantly drawn upwards to the high ceilings. She gazes upwards for several seconds before pulling her gaze away to continue onward. "Your Majesty." She says, since she is a little bit behind the king, and she curtsys as properly as her limp will allow. She curtsys then to Malcolm since she ventures he is the Duke. "My Lord. I am Lady Margret Greenmarch. Welcome to Arx."

Evaristo sidles over towards the couch, and passes Raymesin - he pauses and stares at the man with some surprise, then cracks a grin which splits his face in two almost. "Your song will soon be sung in every tavern," he tells the man, as way of greeting. "I started working on it. Got a catchy tune and everything." He studies the king meanwhile, curiously and intently.

Desiree has joined the a comfortable blue sofa with ivory pillows.

"The King!" Jennyva says in a voice that's barely restrained giddiness! Oh, wait she remembers to bow. She does, indeed, but can't stop staring. And then the other guests! "Lord Deepwood, Scipio? We haven't met yet either. Nice to meet you!" And then Raymesin walks in and the crow in paradise is snagged by the arm, "Mal, Wyatt, Simon, I'd like you to meet my friend Raymesin!" She says, drawing /all/ the attention his way. "I met him and the Captain Evaristo at the Shrine of the Queen of Endings. What a wonderful night. Full of answers. Well. Not as many as one hoped but! It was a great night. Thank you for joining us, both of you. Really." Then to Margret, "Lady Greenmarch! Thank you so much for coming! What a treat!"

"Free is good," Grady says with a flash of a smile toward Malcolm. "It wasn't so long that my little cadet branch of the family started making our way to Arx. Everyone's terribly welcoming so of course I'm sure you'll find the same greeting." He meanders off - you don't have to tell him twice to avail himself of the food, after all.

Simon smothers a snicker behind a hand at Malcolm's greeting for the King, watching for half a second before his attention flits to other things. "Song? What song is this?" he asks in Evaristo's direction, brows hiking up to punctuate the question. Then his gaze sweeps to Raymesin, before Jennyva directs all the attention that-a-way anyway, "It is nice to meet you, Raymesin. A friend of Jennyva's is a friend of ours!"

Alaric steps by the outstretched hand without breaking stride and puts an arm around Malcolm in a reassuringly alarming manner, because really what's more alarming than your highlord/monarch acting for all the world like you're his best friend despite meeting you in person about fifteen seconds ago? He casually pivots the pair of them around to start them off on a walking tour of the room with utterly self-assured command. "Well, every head of House has their own penchants and favored causes and what-not. Can't go about ruling as a poor imitation of someone else, you'll find," he declares nonchalantly. "Oh, and bowing's generally best to do. You'll get the hang of it all. But come along now, I simply can't wait to be introduced to the rest of your family," he enthuses. He will accept some steering assistance, as he isn't quite sure to whom they should be aiming at.

Daniella enters a little after Alaric with a confident swagger, she seems slightly taken aback by not having drawn much attention before she notices that she had the misfortune to enter shortly after the King. She frowns just slightly before curtseying in his direction. "Your Majesty." She says politely before moving over to the table of liquers to subject it to further study.

There's a look of relief in Wyatt's face as Jennyva introduces Raymesin, "Oh glad to meet you, I thought you might have been a member of the Valiant Effort." A pause, then he awkwardly continues, "Not that any previous associates of my cousins would be at all unwelcome, mind you. Just..." He clears his throat and then asks the room in general as he gestures towards a table, "Have you tried the wine?"

Desiree nods to Scipio. "We'll have to talk later. This is really quite the party." She sits back and enjoys her drink while watching the others around her.

"Hey there, Lady Margret - and be welcomed to Shepherd manor." He taps his fingers against his chest, "'M Malcolm." He leans in, mouthing, "Duke Shepherd." Now, engaged in a walk-and-talk with Alaric, he passes out introductions with a broad grin. "That's Lady Jennyva - my Voice. Lord Wyatt - my other Voice. And Simon -- who is a friend and the Historian of the Duchy. Or bard. Whichever. Both." Dark brown eyes flick toward Raymesin at the sound of his name spoken by Jennyva. "Eh, yeah?"

Raymesin's look at Evaristo comes with the slightest twitch upwards of the corners of his lips. "Gods help us all," he murmurs - and then Jennyva's promptly catching his arm and presenting him to her friends. "Er," he says, apparently caught flat-footed; he then offers a small nod to those he's just been introduced to, a bare-bones courtesy that goes nicely with his outfit. He glances Alaric-wards - because well, who wouldn't - then looks to Jennyva again. "Thanks fer th'invite," he says, his Lowers accent absolutely clear, before it's turned on Wyatt. "No, I ain't a Valiant Effort. In any sense." That said, the ludicrously-tall man's pale eyes turn to Malcolm as he addresses Jennyva.

"My lady," Scipio murmurs with a half-bow to Jennyva. It's not that he recognizes her, or knows her name -- it's just easy habit to do so. With a nod towards Desiree, he moves on, circling the crowd.

"Ah, but the song IS about the godess, in a manner. It will be amusing, and punny. I'm still working on the punny part. I'm not very good at it." He leans against the armrest of the couch, having found wine or snagged a glass in passing. He gulps it down like it's water, then explains to Simon; "Raymesin said the wisest thing, when we were discussing, ah, the mortality. Death. Something like that," he says, waving a hand. "He said 'Life is a near death experience'. If that doesn't just beg to be a song, what does? So, I got some help writing the lyrics, but I wouldn't mind some more..." He gives Simon a hopeful look. "Raymesin, to be honest - your input would be /invaluable/. I mean, I want to catch that tone. Your tone. The dark humor, the puns, all of it."

2 House Deepwood Guards have been dismissed.

Mortimer Ridgewattle the Third have been dismissed.

Evaristo says Evaristo.

"Thank you for welcoming me into your home. House Greenmarch is always eager to make new friends." Margret says to Malcolm, but then he is busy with Alaric. Her attention is drawn to Jennyva when she mentions the Shine of the Queen of Endings. "Do you have an interest in the Queen, my lady?" She asks, and she sort of just trots off towards Jennyva, her foot dragging on the floor ever so slightly. She listens to Evaristo with some passing curiosity, but doesn't remark.

Lille, the dauntless companion, 2 Redrain Guards arrive, following Elgana.

Giuseppe Gallo of Lenosia, 2 Armed Confessors, Elgana arrive, following Luca.

"Lady Jennyva, Lord Wyatt, delightful to meet both the Voices of House Shepherd. And friendly historical whichever bard Simon, nice to meet you as well," Alaric smiles regally before leaning closer a touch. "You'll have to tell me how I can get a title like that sometime," he quips quasi-confidentially before straightening up and steering Malcolm towards the largest concentration of alcohol by volume in the room. "Well now, I have to say you seem to be doing just fine for yourself despite the sudden and presumably from your perspective rather capricious determination of your ascension to a position of power and authority entrusted with keeping the lives of thousands of Crownlanders safe and successful with very little preparation or warning whatsoever," he continues brightly as he comes to a stop and looks over the selection. "Lesser individuals in your position might have already run off to the hills trailing screams of dismay."

There's a slow lean forward towards his knees as Evaristo explains, capturing Simon's attention for at least the next little while. "Oh, that saying certainly deserves to become //something//," he agrees, before he reclines back, capturing a glass of something-or-another by a passing servant. It matters not what is in the cup, it's downed in the next instant, and he's reaching for another. Drunken darts is most certainly going to be in his future! "I'd be more than willing to help you with the lyrics. I do my best work drunk, so.." he wiggles fingers to the servant, hoisting up his glass. "Keep them coming, yes?"

l

Wyatt makes a point to head towards the liquor table to greet Princess Daniella, "Hello, your... highness. I'm so glad to have a representative of House Velenosa here, thank you so much for coming." There's slightly awkward pauses in his speech, as if he's trying to convince himself he's not greeting someone of entirely the wrong house and is about to start a diplomatic incident.

With heavy steps from booted feet. The large man known as Ajax slips into the dining room proper, weaving in and out through passers by his head dipping towards the general foot traffic, likely just playing it safe. He pauses watching Wyatt offer greetings towards a princess, eyeing the bottle in his hand for a bit longer then a moment before he looks around at the gathering curiously.

Guillermo, an adorable messenger pigeon, 2 Bisland pride guards arrive, following Kaia.

Jennyva tries to choke back laughter but ends up hiding it behind her hand anyway. She takes a moment away from the door to catch her breath and pick up a drink passing by on an attendant's tray. "Help yourself everyone, I hope there's food and drink to everyone's liking." Then to Margret, still all smiles, "I do! That night I joined the Harlequins. I didn't think I was to be honest. I didn't know what all it entailed but it seems to suit me just fine, I think. I'm thinking about helping with the midwifery part. I just have to take some lessons. Afraid I don't even know how to bandage a scratch, let alone help deliver someone's baby. What about you - do you?" Then of course, you couldn't leave King Alaric hanging, she bows her head, "The pleasure's all mine, your Majesty. Thank you for popping in. It was very kind of you. And a Velenosan Princess." She playfully fans herself. When Ajax enters, she beams to him and waves, "Hello Ajax, and welcome!"

"-- Huh? Come again, your Majesty? I was all with yah up and until the part when you started with the big words. Like ca-capri -- or whatever. It's fine. Everything's fine." Malcolm admits with a good-natured shrug, laughing as he turns toward the liquor cabinet. Pouring himself a tipple, then in a show of very good manners - he does the same for Alaric. "Whiskey works. Here you go. Nah, can't go runnin' toward the hills yet - on account that you'd just let slip the whole plan to the room, your Majesty. I got to escape quiet-like."

"I mean, there's something to be said for screaming for the hills, but why not try a nap first? I find that fixes a lot.", Prince Luca interjects. Where'd he even come from? It's hard to say, the mingler. There's a woman at his side, Princess Elgana Redrain, and really who could have missed her? Probably no one. No wonder Luca's able to go about so easily without notice. "King Al!", he says, by way of greeting, "I made it back and all in one piece. No need to go burning anything..". A quick grin for his king and then a wink before he finds Malcolm there too, "You must be this new Peer I'm hearing about. Look, I brought you this thing. Some fine drink from around places and something a little special in case anyone starts trying to give you a raw deal. Peers can be hard to deal with, let me tell you.". He's got a small crate in his hands, that's why he's not reaching to shake, but he does offer it out, easy smile and all.

Daniella is bent slightly forward, squinting a little at one of the liquers as if trying to get it to give up it's secrets, she turns with a smile as Wyatt moves over to her. "Is it all the silk that gives it away?" She asks, "I should try turning up to a party in dirty furs sometime to make people think I'm a Northerner, although I suppose then I run the risk of having to wrestle a bear." She says with a faint frown. "Princess Daniella Velenosa, pleased to make your acquaintance my lord." The Lyceum woman states before holding up the glass of dark liquer she was studying before. "Are you one of our hosts? I do quite fancy the colour of this drink, what do you call this exactly?"

"And, the source of it all is actually Lady Jennyva herself, who sparked the conversation to begin with," Evaristo says, flashing the lady in question a quick grin filled with mirth but also respect. He's quite happy there a bit on the sideline for now, conversing with the other commoners, while shamelessly oogling the nobles and their shinies. "It so happens that my other co-author also wants to write this song while drunk, how convenient. We're all on the same page then, so to speak. I'll send you a messenger and we can get together for drunken song writing?" he suggests to Simon. "But for now, perhaps we should focus on the getting drunk here part and see how we'll do with the darts." He does some bowing now and then, to nobles passing by, charming smiles following. Third wine is going down now, but he's staying away from the hard liquor so far.

Wyatt breathes a sigh of relief that he didn't get Daniella's house wrong, resisting the urge to wipe his forehead. He gestures to his chest, "I'm Lord Wyatt Shepherd, I mostly handle the ledgers of House Shepherd's finances, which are not anywhere near as boring as anyone would think. In fact, just last year, we had a major uptick in barley production, and that in turn caused our exports to jump up by four point three percent! Which lead us to being able to diversify our imports, and..." Wyatt drones on for a good couple minutes before being remembered he was asked another question, and points towards the drink, "Oh! That's Graypeak Beer, or some people call it Gray Beer. Locally it's one of the most popular beverages, and it can also clean coins as well. Strips them clean if you leave them in it. Very handy."

Alaric takes the whiskey that was very good mannerly poured for him and raising it an appreciative salute before kicking some back. "In other words, you haven't set your manor on fire yet, and that's good. Indeed, it's fine. Everything's fine. Hello, Luca! I'm glad to see you've gone and came back with all your starting pieces. And Princess Elgana, always a pleasure," he replies first to Malcolm before turning to the others, then back to Malcolm as he continues. "Ah yes, nearly slipped my mind! I suspect these will be of great help to you as you continue to get settled. Some contracts, letters of introduction, promissory notes and the like. Very helpful for getting things done." He gestures offhandedly to Zelda, who presents what is a folder somewhat stuffed with official-looking documents.

"Is there ever a doubt you'd make it back all in one piece?" comes Elgana's words to Luca as she side-steps just so out of Luca's shadow, dipping into a neat and tidy curtsy for both King and Duke. "Your majesty, always a pleasure," she offers to Alaric, her smile full on with the warmth as it turns toward Malcolm then, "and it is a pleasure to meet you as well. You have a lovely home." Where ever she came from she had time to snag up a glass of something from a passing servant and even drain it a couple measures but she seems right at home mingling with everyone else. Those dark eyes don't linger as she scans the room and then she spots Margret. "Oh, Mags is here! I should go say hello to her," she says to Luca, that smile some how brighter now.

Raymesin copies Jennyva's example and lifts a glass from a passing tray. Holding it as though not quite sure how strong it is - the glass itself, not the contents - he takes a cautious sip, and then a rather larger swallow. He looks to Evaristo, then. "Dark humour? Black as the Abyss." There's a pause, then, as Raymesin drinks some more, slowly and with appreciation before turning to look at the assembly some more. Including the King.

Guillermo, an adorable messenger pigeon, 2 Bisland pride guards leave, following Kaia.

"Crate of booze - welcome!" Malcolm's willing to move forward and accept that crate from Prince Luca, turning abruptly on his heel to drop the crate into the awaiting arms of another household servant. "My thanks for your immediate thoughtfulness, your Highness. Highness-esses. Listen, that crate will not go unloved and undrank. I have been counting the months in bottles and so far - yeah -- doin' pretty good. Can't nap though. Too many things I'd rather do than sleep. It's a pleasure to meet you, Prince Luca, again and your lovely escort who also looks like a royal an' I might've met her but I really doubt it." He looks aside at the king, blinking again, "Say what, your Majesty?" A folio is presented and Malcolm takes a peek into it. "Bull's balls," he blurts out. "That's -- huh. Thank you, your Majesty."

Malcolm picks up polished chest of the dagger and rose.

Guillermo, an adorable messenger pigeon, 2 Bisland pride guards arrive, following Kaia.

Margret listens to Jenyva speak, and as the other woman speaks her smile increases in radiance little by little. "How funny. I have been looking for a Harlequin, and I am a physician who has specialized in delivering babies, and I also teach others in the healing arts. What a happy coincidence indeed." A glance is given to Daniella and she smiles softly. "How funny, Princess. Most of the Northern ladies I know are very fashionable. I suppose you could say the men like their furs." And speaking of Northerners she catches sight of Elgana and lifts a hand rather energetically to wave to her. "Elgana I have escaped!"

1 Grayson House Guards, Peaches, a lovely white war filly with a peach saddle, Deliverance, an albino falcon, Stormy, a silvery gray hunting hound, Rascal, a hyper terrier, Rosalie, a lady in waiting arrive, following Reese.

"Who is your co-writer? I think I'll like them!" Simon says to Evaristo with a laugh, swallowing up his second glass of wine and moving onto the third. There is a passing glance to the nobles, and to the King as well, before his attention goes back to Evaristo with a wide grin. "Are you any good at darts, Captain?" he questions, while the third drink rapidly disappears.

Reese arrives in the dining room while adorned in a rosy tunic and ivory leggings. She has pink ribbons threaded through her golden locks. The princess peeks over the room, trying to get a feel for things here. She is quick to make to her way toward the fruit and picks out raspberries.

"Really? Well... We need to chat, most definitely. Tomorrow evening we can do some snacks and coffee together." She beams at Margaret and then! Jennyva claps her hands together at Evaristo's suggestion! "Yes! That's right. We can't have /drunken/ darts if we are sober!" Another little bounce, "So! Everyone knows how to play right? We are going to play ten rounds. We'll start with a shot - feel free to pick out anything on the liquer table there. Then, we'll take turns throwing darts. You get two. Then, shots and a round of throwing. The idea is that it's going to get harder and harder to hit the target the drunker we get. And! I am so, so proud to introduce today's prize, our first Graypeak Ambassador." She stoops low to coax out a Graypeak Mountain Pupper from under the table. "This is Fancy." She takes Fancy's paw and makes it wave hello at everyone. "We love Fancy very, very much but we think that Fancypants should go to someone here, to represent House Shepherd as our First Ambassador. Fancy is small now. Just a pup, but when they grow up and get all big, Fancy is going to very much be a wonderful guard dog."

Daniella "By the Thirteenth, four point /three/ percent?" Daniella asks Wyatt, her eyes growing wide. "Why Lord Wyatt you must be quite a genius with numbers, you just must tell me how you managed to get growth that high, I mean, to get it to not just four percent but four point three!" She exclaims, before smiling over at Margret. "Well maybe I'd be mistaken for a Northern lord then, I can look pretty fierce when I've a mind to." She claims, despite all evidence to the contrary. She frowns slightly as Wyatt explains the drink. "Well that sounds quite deliciously awful, does it have any other impressive powers? Turning your hair purple or the like? I've often thought I would look quite striking with purple hair."

Malcolm checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 4 lower.

Reese looks over to Jennyva now that she has a small plate of spring berries. "Hi, Lady Jennyva, nice to see you again." She says in her direction. She then waves with her free hand toward Daniella. "And you, Princess. You would look nice with purple hair. I would go with pink hair for myself though."

"Yes, all the starting pieces, for better or for worse.", Prince Luca seems to agree with King Alaric, taking advantage of his newly-free'd hands to pat himself down like he's making sure. "Maybe all of them..", he says with a cheeky grin, before turning his attention back to Malcolm, "The pleasure's all mine, Duke Mal. The rum's for the resident former piratess. I figured you'd like the whiskey. Don't over-indulge and decide the unmarked green one looks delicious.". He laughs, lifting a hand to run it through his dark hair, though Elgana pulls at his attention with her praise, "I like to pretend I won't be coming back enough to give me the edge I need to get back. It's.. sporting, right? Fear's a fine thing when you're out.. drinking.. or whatever..". He sort of trails off with the end of that.

Alaric pats Malcolm on the back whlie he's briefly goggled at the folio contents. "Not at all! I'm very invested in the success of my vassals. Including you, naturally," he declares before detaching himself. "Well now, I won't monopolize any more of your time, Duke Malcolm, there's plenty of people here to see you, after all! Do feel free to come to me if you're seeking advice, support, counsel, assistance with dispatching alcohol, or anything else that seems appropriate. I will certainly do all I can to help ensure things remain fine."

Ajax checked composure at difficulty 15, rolling 7 lower.

Evaristo looks like he's about to throw himself into a long harangue about the song, but manages to not do so, partly because Jennyva distracts. He shoots Raymesin and Simon broad grins and raises his glass in toasts to them however, those violet eyes gleaming calculatingly. Song writing... "Alright, time to get into this game now," he says and moves towards those darts, but not in a too big hurry, nodding at Jennyva. The pup, well, he ogles that one a bit suspiciously. Eyes the dart board. Eyes the dog. "I have a pet spider. Low maintenance," he tells the Lady. "It does nothing."

"There's a moment, you know, when you're someplace and it starts to hit hard - real hard, like a hammer - that you're kind of in a big position of authority and responsibilty and you're drinking with the king and rubbing elbows with royals once this hits ya and -- " Malcolm blinks, expression falling somewhat, "Uh-huh. Yeah, your Majesty. Maybe that last bit. Good drinking friends is hard to come by." To himself, afterward, "This is a lot. A lot. I kinda need a sitdown, I think." And a drink. Because he drinks down whatever he had left in his glass, reaches for the bottle, and he is shoving off toward the table.

Introductions! Elgana turns that smile back on Malcolm as she says, "Princess Elgana Redrain. It is lovely to meet you and I hope that bottle of whiskey I sent over made it safe and sound. It's quickly become one of my favorites and a definite comfort that reminds me of home." Her dark eyes flick between the men she's gathered with, her free hand smoothing down the blue seasilk of her dress as she turns toward Margret's voice, her smile turning into a playful grin. "Good! I was starting to get worried they were keeping you," she exclaims to the Greemarcher, adding in as an aside to her present company, "Please excuse me but that's my best friend right over there," she points toward Margret, "and I must go say hello at the least." And with that, she glides off toward Margret.

Wyatt pauses and glances around, as if to see if anyone else was sharing the reaction to the spectacular value of four point three percent. "Well..." He begins tenatively, with the voice of someone accustomed to other people walking off mid conversation as he starts talking in depth about economics, "... you have to understand that there was a drought in the southeastern Oathlands about that time which hit the barley crop particularly hard. And when the Silent War ended, there was a strong uptick in raids along the roads near the Lycene split, so supply was pinched. But we took stock of all the other demesnes that were importing and..." He rambles on for a good ten minutes about barley imports before finally returning to the topic of beer, "Oh no, definitely not purple hair. No changes in hair at all. Well. I don't think they've never conclusively proven it causes hair loss and that's just a local legend that I wouldn't lend much credence."

"A pleasure, Lady Shepard. Been wondering why you ain't been in town lately." Ajax offers, with an easy enough smile, his gaze moving towards the rest of the crowd staring a bit in the direction of Malcom and Alaric his eyes focusing on the king for a few seconds, before he takes a few steps to the side making his usually large self seem smaller towards the eye before he looks at Jennyva properly, "Make sense with the party proper."

Rebellion, a Graypeak Vanner Stallion arrives, following Elsa.

Down the hatch, the rest of Simon's drink goes, before he's rising to his feet in dramatic fashion. It seems the drink's not gone to his head yet, as he sidles over to the dog, darts and Jennyva. One of them is patted on the head - probably the dog, all things considered. "A great prize, I think!" he says with a smile to Jennyva.

Reese looks over to Alaric, having a gentle smile of greeting for the King. She looks over to Malcolm, waving toward him, but the princes seems just a bit concerned for him. She then smiles to Elgana. "Nice to see you again, Princess Elgana." She says softly in her direction. Reese keeps her berries close and goes to find a place to sit. She seems a bit overwhelmed by the size of the gathering, but still cheerful.

Reese has joined the by the bear claw hearth.

Reese ohhs softly to Evaristo. "Surprising spiders like me and I once had a spider friend, but I don't know where she went. Spiders can be like that. I think they probably are low maintance." She then looks to Wyatte, speaking softly the man near the Bear Hearth.

Curious about the new Duke and his family, Quenia makes her way into the party is hosting. She's wearing a flame licked aeterna dress, along with accompanying jewelry and slippers. She moves with an elegant grace, and slips through the crowd with a refined ease. She smiles to those she knows, and nods in their direction, though she is on the lookout for the new nobility.

"Princess Reese! Thank you so much for stopping by!" Jennyva calls and begins to wave enthusiastically but... thinks better of it and gives her a bow instead. "Alright. First round of drinks for everyone and then we can get the game started?" You know, booze to settle all those nerves out there in the crowd. Sheesh.

"Don't let it all weigh on you too much, Duke Mal. Like I said, don't underestimate the nap. Ten naps are as good as a sleep, really.", Prince Luca offers, along with some questionable math. He doesn't put a lot of effort into the academics of his pitch. "Have yourself a drink or two! It'll all loosen right up. Or ten. Whatever.", and he's turning then, not quite abandoning the conversation, but his dark eyes to catch a part of his attention that's swept around the room.

Alaric lifts his glass to Malcolm in parting, and downs the remainder of the contents before wiggling his fingers thoughtfully as he decides what to try next. "Very good, then," he says, grinning regally in reply to the various inbound deferential gestures as he mulls it over. "Pleasure meeting you, Duke Malcolm." After some poking about, he just ends up pouring himself a second glass of that first whiskey. It was more than fine, as it turns out.

Malcolm waves, wanly, waving at faces - both new and familiar - although he's not quite checked in properly. It might have everything to do with the folder still clutched in his hand, and he looks at the bottle in the other. "Uh -- gotta bit of business to attend to. In the study. 'Pologies."

Reese looks over to Jennyva. "I was very happy to come by. Thanks for holding this gathering. It looks like you had quiet the turn out!" She murmurs.

"It's a date then!" Margret says excitedly to Junnyva. She laughs at Daniella's retort, obviously impressed. "Why dress like a northern man when you can be fierce as a southern lady?" She then adds, "Lady Margret Greenmarch. My husband is probably related to you in some fashion. Genealogically, I mean, and he also appreciates a good umbra." Then Elgana is coming over and she takes a few steps towards her bestie to meet her. "How are you?"

Raymesin lifts his glass in salute to Evaristo and Simon, then polishes off the contents. Slowly. While drifting towards the food with more grace than anyone of his build has any right to employ. There may be drunken darts, but apparently free food is much more interesting, to Raymesin at least. The ludicrously-tall Lowers man clad in scuffed and scarred black leathers may stand out like a crow in a room full of birds of paradise, but now that people aren't looking at him much, he's looking a little less on edge.

Simon has joined the line.

Reese has joined the line.

Desiree has joined the line.

Evaristo has joined the line.

"Pink hair would certainly make you stand out in a crowd." Daniella agrees with Reese, "Nice to see you again as well your highness." She states before returning her attention to Wyatt as he begins his very in depth explanation. She manages to look pleasantly attentive throughout the whole thing, with only the faintest of deadness to her eyes. "Hair loss?" She asks with a frown, "Well that's not nearly as exotic. Which of these drinks is the least likely to cause any aesthetic impairment?" She asks with a suspicious glance over the table.
"Umbra is rather lovely." She sighs appreciatively at Margret, "Your husband clearly has good taste my lady."

Quenia has joined the line.

Elgana drifts through the crowd, offering that warm smile to those she knows and trading off her emptied glass for a fresh one just in time to offer a little waggle of her fingers toward Princess Reese's quiet call of greeting. It is Margret, however, that snags her attention firmly and she just smiles affectionately at her best friend. "Hello dearest," she says as she finishes those steps between them and gathers Margret into a warm hug. "I'm doing well! I'm sorry I haven't been by the lodge yet but that damnable snow and then--" she just offers a wild, but contained, wave of her free hand to indicate whatever she's trying to sum up as she gives a laugh that fades into a sigh. "Oh, are we playing a game?" she wonders then as she looks to the goings-on with the darts and booze.

Goofus, the gallant Graypeak Mountain dog leaves, following Malcolm.

"I find spiders to be very pleasant pets. It moved in on its own, sits there in its net up in the corner of the room, and quietly judges me, I believe," Evaristo says to Reese, nodding sagely. "I suspect one day it will just be gone, and I will miss it terribly." He sighs and joins the line, grabbing a shot of booze and downing it before it's his turn.

"Well. It is just a legend, I'm fairly certain it doesn't do that but..." Lord Wyatt looks over the glasses then points a red bottle out to Daniella, "Oh. Taste of home there. Lenosian Red. So I imagine that's perfect for..." He then looks a little horrified and tears a tiny skull and crossbones off the label, "Ah, some of the locals put little symbols on the wine as commentary about the regions. It can be in poor taste."

Reese looks over to Evaristo. "They must be quiet and watchful. Is it true that spiders have a lot of eyes?" She asks and doesn't sound completely sure.

Quenia grins lightly as a game is called. "Oh, this should be interesting," she says to no one at all, and then gets into the line with everything else. Her eyes are full of mirth, even as she cradles a bottle of something in her arms; a bottle with a peachish sort of liquid.

Luca has joined the line.

"It's a game, alright." Ajax offers in an aside towards Elgana, staying out of the group getting ready to throw darts, his thick brows furrowing before his gaze settled on Reese with the eye of a gambler.

Simon snags another drink as he gets into the growing line for dart games, slurping it back as he looks to Evaristo from over the rim. "A spider as a pet?" he questions, brows slowly rising into arches. "That's unique. What do you feed it?" He looks aside to inspect each of the darts, picking up one and weighing it in his fingers, before he tests the needle-point tip with a careful finger.

Reese looks over to Quenia, having a smile of greeting for the Marquesa that reaches her blue eyes. She then waves to Ajax, trying to look all confident. Reese also looks quite pale and pink. She gets in line for the darts, but her spot in the line happens still be close to the hearth. She says something else to Wyatt.

Prince Luca, standing around after Malcolm's departure, finds himself a couple of shots as well. Some that are just floating by, and whatever he does with them they're gone quick. The emptied little glasses are left somewhere as he finds a pair of darts to replace them, giving them a quiet once-over with a wetting of his lips, almost thoughtful.

Daniella bursts out laughing when Wyatt pulls the skull and crossbones off the label. "Not at all my lord, that is positively delightful." She glances up quickly as the line starts forming. "Oh, I don't want to miss my shot at fame and glory." She states, quickly downing a shot of the Lenosian red before heading towards the line to take her turn. "Are you going to try your luck as well Lord Wyatt?"

Wyatt has joined the line.

Elsa has joined the line.

Anyone close enough to overhear Reese or really trying, can guess that her topic of conversation seems to be books.

"I don't have good enough eyes to look. I don't even dare get too close, I'm afraid she'll attack me. We barely know each other, she moved in just the other day," Evaristo explains to Simon and Reese both. "Ah, the feeding part... I'm not sure. I guess I could catch some flies and see if she'll like that?" he says, not entirely sure. "As I said... it's hard to tell. He tests the darts as well, tossing them up, getting a feel for their weight, balancing them in his hand.

"You'll have to tell me who your tailor is. I've been meaning to get a doublet made for him." Margret says in an aside to Daniella. She hugs Elgana back just as warmly, and pulls back a little when the Redrain waves her hand around. "No I completely understand. And you know..." She leans in to whisper something very softly to Elgana. Then she says aloud, "We'll get caught up completely later. And I believe they are playing darts. You should give it a go."

Wyatt tenatively tries a little bit of Lenosian red himself before setting down a glass, "Oh I'm not any good at... well. Sure, why not?" He then takes a deep breath, smooths his vest and moves to be in line. He smiles warmly at Reese, "I'll catch up with you!"

Wyatt has left the by the bear claw hearth.

Alaric takes up a spectating position by the sofa, evidently leaving the shot-taking, pointy-object-tossing, and gaining-custody-of-a-puppy potential to the other attendees. "May the most suitable dog owner win!" he proclaims regally.

Elgana's gaze shifts off Margret at Ajax's words, nose crinkling as that grin remains on her lips. "So it would seem," she offers with a soft laugh. But she does lean in to listen to what Margret has to say now that all of the greeting and hugging between the Redrain and Greenmarch is over with. Whatever it is that Margret says gets Elgana to stifle a bit of laughter, then press a fond kiss to her best friend's cheek. "We will do a lot of catching up at dinner, yes. And I will hopefully get to hold that sweet baby boy!" She gives Margret another little quick hug. "Excuse me, dearest." And then she slips back through the gathering crowd back over toward Luca and his place in the line for darts, careful not to step on any toes or get in the way of any dart throwing.

Alaric has joined the a comfortable blue sofa with ivory pillows.

Elsa pokes her head into the packed dining room and smiles broadly, "Did I hear something about a game? Well count me in!" She strolls unhurriedly into the room, offering smiles and nods towards those she knows... and those she doesn't!

Reese looks to Evaristo, nodding in response to the man's words. "Maybe some spiders do attack." She says, sounding like a girl who probably doesn't know all that much about spiders. "There was this spider who lived on the shoulder of a Whisper guardian. He was a man who guarded the whispers and the spider was brightly colored like the rainbow and very impish." She says. That seems to be her spider lore! She then smiles to Wyatta. "Alright Lord Wyatt, good luck!"

Quenia grins as she watches the others playing the drunken darts game, and then she gets a few drinks herself. Wine, of course. That's her drink of choice. Not from the bottle she carries in her arms. Oh no! That would not do. But, whatever is in the room. Well, wine if she can get away with it, at least. She then takes her turn where she can, doing quite well with both of her darts - for now. She then gets back into the line even as she takes a moment to listen to the conversations around her. It is then that she notices the king, and the puppy, and she hmms softly to herself.

Reese looks over to Elsa, smiling to her as the equine-minded Lady arrives. She gives her a smile of greeting. "Oh, yes, we are playing darts. I think you can still get in, Lady Elsa." She says toward her.

Ajax gives the princess a dip of his head as she heads over towards Luca, his brow furrowing as he watches the line, a small tch escaping for a brief moment before he rolls his broad shoulders in a shrug, he starts trudging his way over towards the sofas where the others not participating in the game seem to be heading. Though, every so often he shoots a look towards the line as if he's trying to put faces to names.

"Just make sure you find someone who can do a good collar." Daniella advises Margret, "A double is all about the collar." She states confidently, giving Wyatt a grin when he joins the line. "That's my man, just pretend the bullseye is a set of poorly kept accounts." She advises, before telling nobody in particular. "I'm definitely going to win this, I mean I've never really done it before, but just look at these fingers, there's no way they can't win." She adds, holding up her fingers for the examination of anyone interested.



Alright, Round 1 Completed! Time for shots and then another round. (Again, 2 rolls to me, this time difficulty of 18)

And while the famous and titled - and one or two not-so-famous and not-so-titled - seem to be mostly busy either throwing sharp things and drinking or sitting around and drinking, Raymesin is busy sampling the food. And one or two of the decorations on the platters, by mistake.

Desiree steps forward when it is her turn at darts. "I'm going to be terrible at this, but I have been wanting a dog. There is no harm in trying." She takes a drink and throws the dart. They don't hit anyone, but they also don't actually hit the dartboard. They don't come close as both throws are short and don't reach the board and instead fall to the floor. "Darts are so not my game. Good luck to everyone else." She returns to her seat at the couch.

"How are you so sure that the spider is a woman?" Simon smirks over to Evaristo, before he steps to the line and throws his first two darts. They hit the target easily, and then he's stepping out of the line to take two fistfuls of drinks. One is offered to Evaristo, the other is kept. "How big is this spider? This is very intriguing to me. I should like to meet her."

Wyatt is spectacularly bad at this. "Oh gods, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!" He yells after one of his darts almost hits a much suffering guard who really wasn't anywhere close.

Prince Luca's just checking out the fine tip on the dangerous end of the pair of darts when Princess Elgana comes wandering back, his dark gaze drifting over to her, "How do I keep running into you here?", he asks, quiet smirk thinning of the fullness of his lips for a heartbeat. A dart is offered over to Elgana, like she might want to examine the thing, "Do you think I can throw this thing like a throwing dagger? How do people even use these?", he asks with a lift of one dark brow. It's all tease, there in his tone, banter for the returning noblewoman just before he steps up and flicks a dart. It's probably an okay toss despite the liquor, and he does the same with the second when he gestures for it.

"Thank you, Your Highness! I believe I will... I love a good game of darts," Elsa responds with a broad smile towards Reese before stepping up to take her turn at the board. After making her throws, she steps away to let the next in line have their chance, moving towards JEnnyva briefly so she can murmur something to her cousin-in-law before winking and stepping over to get herself some refreshments. And perhaps to get Wyatt a little something too. Poor man.

Evaristo throws the darts with the skill of a rogue. Literally. And the luck of a scoundrel. He does well, hitting the board with all his darts so far, getting a fair few points. "I'm not entirely sure, I'm just gessing. I named her Cecily the Seafarer. I bet she'll be very surprised when we head out to sea, hope she doesn't mind awfully. But hey, she moved onto a ship, she gets to sail. Stowaway." He steps aside, drinks more shots, and is looking a bit shiny-eyed by now. "Err... she's about, uh, I donno. This big?" He holds up his index finger and thumb, showing a small space. Maybe half an inch. "Black. Good fashion choice of color, I'm not sure I'd be too impressed with a rainbow spider. Gauche," he says with a grin at Reese. He studies her for a moment, noticing all the pink, opens his mouth, closes it again. "Hmm... a pink spider.. that'd be nice."


Round 2 Completed! Time for shots and then another round. (Again, 2 rolls to Jennyva, this time difficulty of 22)

Ajax has joined the a comfortable blue sofa with ivory pillows.

Quenia glances over at Wyatt as he gets in line and starts to play darts. She offers him a warm smile. "Trying your hand at the darts too?" she asks, and winces a bit when he almost hits a guard. She gives him a mirthful look. "I'm certain they're wearing armor," she tells him. "I'm Marquessa Quenia Igniseri, by the by," she says, and then takes her turn. It's not an expertly crafted shot, but she's at least doing well for herself with her two darts. Of course, then she has to drink more and get back into line.

Reese smiles happily as Elsa joins the game and her dimples briefly appear. "I would like a pink spider. I never seen one before though." She muses and then gets ready to throw more darts. Reese seems sober, but then she normally is.

Alaric is apparently getting his spectating's worth from the parade of stray darts clattering everywhere. It helps that they are throwing away from his vantage point. Or at least it helps his guards feel a lot less grim about the whole enterprise, at any rate.

"Black is an appropriate color for a spider. It does go with anything," Simon agrees, knocking his shot back before he picks up another couple of darts. This time, he's not so selective, on account of his reddening cheeks. But perhaps the drunkenness does him well - the first connects with the board, but the second sails majestically through the air, burrowing right into the center of the target. "Bullseye!" he declares, lifting another drin kin celebration."

Daniella manages to do a passable job on her first round at the dartboard and then looks over at Wyatt when he almost hits one of the guards. "Was he looking at you funny or something?" She asks before sweeping by the table for another shot and then heading back to throw again, managing to strike the board once more. "What did I say?" She proclaims proudly, "Magic fingers."

Reese peeks over to Simon with a smile. "Congrats!" She says as the man gets a bullseye. Reese seems to be doing pretty decently herself. "Black goes with everyone, but its black.." She says of course Reese might have a biased opinion on color. "I'm Princess Reese." She adds to Simon.

"I'll see you soon." Margret says to Elgana as the Redrain departs, and then her attention turns back to the dart game. "I'll keep that in mind." She says to Daniella as she watches the darts get thrown. Her attention drifts to the competition, and she quiets a moment as she watches.

"Have you never played darts before?" Elgana wonders, clearly amazed by this teasing 'revelation' from Luca as she catches the man looking over the dart as if he's never seen one before in his entire life. She clucks her tongue and says, playfully going along with it, "Well, you throw it with the aim of getting it in the very central ring." A pause. "I think that's the desired result at least." Maybe someone /else/ is the one who hasn't played darts a day in their life, for real. Regardless, Elgana takes the dart from Luca, brows lofting in a waggle as she rolls the dart by the shaft between her fingers and then mimes throwing it but she doesn't actually throw it, laughing as she hands it back to the prince. "As for the how do we keep meeting like this? It can't be fate. Perhaps just the way of things." She offers him her glass, wiggling it teasingly. "Thirsty?" And then her gaze turns toward the action going on with those throwing.

Wyatt is more shocked than anyone that he actually hits the board, not once, but twice. I mean. They aren't good hits. But there's a fist pump that goes on.

Evaristo looks faintly smug as he too gets a bullseye on his turn. Otherwise, his throws have been kind of average, but all have hit the board so far. He goes for the next round of drinks, which is just as important. He eyes the puppy again. Steps away a bit, like it scares him a tad.

Raymesin's eyebrows lift as he looks towards Reese, and then he shrugs. Apparently it's news that he goes with everyone, but he won't complain. The black-clad man intercepts a look from Jennyva and heads towards the dessert end of the table, abandoning the things that look like decorations in favour of some small cakes.

Elsa picks up a pair of glasses and deftly skirts through the crowded room to approach Wyatt with a broad smile, "Here, this may help you loosen up a little. Enjoy!" Taking a sip from her own glass, she meanders back over to the dart board for her turn, almost casually flicking the darts towards the board before moving along to go find someone else to meet!

Simon is not beyond cheering for another, and whilst he is celebrating his own bullseye with a shot? A whoop goes up for Evaristo as well. "Good throw!" he declares, and makes sure that the Captain gets another drink, as is only right of course.

"Well done, milord," Quenia calls encouragingly to Wyatt, then she turns her attention to Reese and offers her a warm smile. "Princess Reese, it's good to see you again," she offers. "I do hope you are having fun with the game," she nods toward the dart board as she takes another drink herself, waiting for the next round.

Wyatt explains after a moment to Daniella, "I'm pretty sure there was a gust of wind in here that was missing for the next toss." An indoor gust.

Reese looks toward the black clad Raymesin with brief and yet still curious attention. She gives him a smile, before she turns her attention to Quenia. "I am. I love darts." The warrior princess confesses.


Round 4 Completed! Shots and then we begin a new round!. (Again, 2 rolls to Jennyva, this time difficulty of 27!)

Daniella lifts her hands a little to clap for Wyatt when his next few darts do so well. "Oh most definitely." She agrees with his assessment of the indoor wind. "I felt it go past myself, good for you not letting it ruin your concentration." She praises, heading to take her next shot of alcohol before returning towards the dart area. "This sets quite the ruthless drinking pace doesn't it? Some people are definitely going to regret their decision to play tomorrow."

The Fox-Prince laughs, and to Princess Elgana he offers a sly look out of the corner of one dark eye, "I'm sure I've seen them played somewhere.". Luca's found another pair somewhere, and he holds them up like Elgana might need to see them while he leans in to murmur something between them. But after he's done, he's off to toss them out again, letting the alcohol languid up his wrist just a little bit as he throws. That isn't to say he abandons the Redrain princess for the game. It only takes a hand doesn't it? He pulls her right up along with him, sweeping through to have his turn and be done with it, laughing.

Briar, a quiet young woman arrives, delivering a message to Quenia before departing.

Wyatt is beaming in satisfaction from his two previous throws, and is practically bouncing in excitement at his turn to throw two more darts. A little too much. The first dart is flung with enthusiasm and hits somewhere in between the board and a painting of Duke Gregor Shepherd, whose expression of supreme disappointment seems exceedingly appropriate. The second dart is flung with even more enthusiasm, hits the ceiling, then comes loose and impales iself in the floor just nearly missing Wyatt's foot. He awkwardly pulls up the dart and then explains, "Another gust, I think."

1 Redreef Warden arrives, following Scythia.

"I do feel the wind, it's a strong breeze," Simon says to Wyatt in an encouraging sort of way, though his own darts have no trouble finding the board. It seems to be he just gets better the more he drinks - so drink some more, he does!


Round 5 Completed! Shots and then we begin a new round!. (Again, 2 rolls to Jennyva, this time difficulty of 33!)

"Practically a small storm," Evaristo agrees wholeheartedly and a bit slurringly. "Keeps moving things around, see how that board is swaying?" he says loudly and points at it. Or least at the proximity of the board. Even so, he throws again and hits this time as well, but he does aim for quite a bit, tongue sticking out.

Quenia pauses a moment after drinking yet more alcohol to take a message. Her face blossoms into a bright smile. She shifts her bottle of wine slightly and whispers quietly to the messenger, sending him off. Her eyes twinkle brightly as she does. Whatever information she received was cause for merriment on her part, and now she's grinning ear to ear. Or, it could be the wine. She then turns to throw darts at the board and flushes a faint crimson as one of her own goes astray and misses the board. The other just barely hits the inner edges.

Margret winces when that dart comes down from the ceiling and nearly skewers Wyatt's foot. "Well, welcome to Arx Shepards!" She says enthusiastically all the while backing in her awkward limping way towards the door. "Do have a lovely night!" She gives Elgana a little wave as she departs before heading out.

1 Greenmarch Guard, Soraya, the out of place Lycene lady's maid leave, following Margret.

Daniella nods sympathetically at Wyatt before stepping up and managing to hit home with one of her two darts. "Or maybe you just invested me with all your natural talent." She theorizes, "Very noble of you to do that really." She states before going and taking another drink before returning to the dart board, this time however neither strike particularly close to the board, bouncing off the wall with a awkward rattle. "I can't believe my magic fingers let me down..." She complains as she slinks back away from the board.

Reese is still playing the game. She peeks over to Wyatt, having a gentle smile for the scholarly Lord as he takes his turn. This time she is hanging in there, but just barely so. She almost misses.

Jennyva also winces at Wyatt's luck. "Brother, another round like that and I may have to ask you to sit down before you get yourself hurt." She shifts her weight to support Fancy on her hip so her other hand is free to put on her opposite hip very disappointedly before bursting out into giggles.

Scythia steps into the dining room and the festivities with a stray murmur of gratitude toward one of the attendants at hand this evening. After stepping off to the side she takes a moment, just a moment, to survey the whole of the area and take in the ambiance of the expansive chamber. "How lovely," she murmurs to no one at all, but clearly needing to vocalize her compliments before traveling further into the party.

Kaia, a lovely and young-looking petite lady of fair complexion -dressed in a bright sapphire and crimson colored sea silk dress, in a slightly revealing yet sophisticated fashion, held in place by a delicate jeweled silver necklace; would arrive to the Shepherd Manor, followed by her small entourage - two Bisland pride guards. She would politely introduce herself by the entrance before being led in, towards the estates' dining room. One of her guards would be holding a classic glass platter with a clear dome ornamented with a golden satin ribbon, and inside it there would be a perfectly baked vanilla cake with apricots and buttercream frosting. Once inside she would look around the room, her stance graceful as she searched for familiar faces, before further proceeding. Soon enough she caught a glimpse of a few recognizable faces, still there was one she was looking for, without much success, Duke Malcolm Shepherd. She inquired with the staff who the next in rank would be, not having met any of the Shepherd's before, except for the Duke, so she could approach them to provide them with a gift. Kindly and graciously, someone directed her towards the Lady Jennyva Shepherd, to whom -once she had caught her attention- she would courteously give a bow to, before saying "Good day, Lady Jennyva, thank you for allowing me to be here. I must say, the estate is looking marvelously dashing!" her tone was pleasant and slightly melodic, "I have brought you a small gift, in the name of House Bisland, for the family that I do hope you all find to your enjoyment." She said, as the escort holding the crystal platter, with the perfectly indulgent cake, approached and waited for instructions as to whom he should give the present.

"Are you sure?" Elgana questions Luca, suspicious but just in the playful way before she grins at him. She leans to look at that freshly caught up pair of darts he has in his hands, leaning close enough to share some murmured words and another laugh before she's swept off with him for that turn. She must not get too terribly in his way as he takes his turns at the dart board. She does catch Margret's parting wave before the Greenmarcher can vanish, returning it before she returns to draining a bit more from her glass. Those dark eyes flit from face to face as the game continues, watching each contestant take their turn.

"Does that help, Evaristo? The tongue thing?" Simon nearly goes cross-eyed looking down at a dart that's held up too close to his nose, before he pokes his tongue out of one corner of his mouth. And then the other side! And then directly all the way out, before he throws again. The dart sails and hits the board, and he pumps his fist into the air. "Excellent! It does indeed!"

Evaristo keeps up the drinking and the dart throwing, having a blast. He /almost/ misses this turn, but the dart gets stuck by pure luck, on a low point. The other one does a bit better. "Yeah, sticking your tongue out always helps," he explains, nodding approvingly.

Kaia is greeted by the sight of a very informal dinner spread and a lot of drunken people throwing darts. But still the air is inviting and warm. "Hello and welcome Lady Bisland! You look lovely... and you didn't have to get us anything, but thank you! Such a thoughtful gesture." Jennyva gives her a bow, "I'm afraid you're a little too late for the dart competition, but why don't you make yourself at home and come have a drink with us and eat and be merry!"

Raymesin continues to lurk at the food, though he's turned now so he can see the dartboard now the contest is getting more interesting. His pale eyes follow Wyatt's wild dart's flight, and he looks perhaps a little disappointed when it doesn't hit anyone or anything other than the floor. Having tried one of the little cakes, he moves back along the table to try a few more dainties, this time managing to successfully tell food and flowers apart.

"Well now that I have been so tragically betrayed by mine fingers, I believe it's come time for me to depart." Daniella laments, stepping over to mention to Jennyva, "Excellent game and wonderful party my Lady." She says before giving the rest of the party goers a little finger waggling wave goodbye. "Terribly nice to meet the rest of you." She adds before making her way towards the exit.

Wyatt nods soberly in agreement with Evaristo and Simon about the stormy conditions in doors. "It's really unpredictable! But maybe Princess Daniella is right." He looks thoughtful, "I do mostly invest, so it stands to reason I could have invested my talent in her." He then waves idly in greeting towards the arriving Kaia and Scythia while preparing his next throws as he glances over his shoulder at Daniella, "It was a pleasure meeting you, your highness!"


Shots and then we begin Round 6! (Again, 2 rolls to Jennyva, this time difficulty of 40!)

Reese peeks over to Kaia and Scythia as they arrive, having a smile for the two ladies that touches her blue eyes. "Lady Kaia and Lady Scythia, nice to see you both again." She says in their direction. She steps up to throw her darts again and still seems to be doing fairly well.

"Have you ever tried throwing them over your shoulder?" Simon nudges Evaristo, before he turns himself around so that his back is to the board. He squints his eyes, sticks his tongue out, and tosses the dart right over his shoulder. It shouldn't hit the board - it truly shouldn't! - and yet, the dart swims through the air to nail the target right in the dead center yet again. Buuullllseeeyyeee. "Did it go?" Simon asks as he whips around to see.

There goes another stray dart, this time hitting the way after Quenia tosses it. The other just barely on the edge grabs the board. Of course, she was slightly distracted by Kaia's entrance, and proooobably not hitting her with the darts as Jennyva directs the competition. She gives Simon an envious look at all of his bullseyes.

Alaric regards Ajax with a personable smile punctuated with a sharp flicker of concentration in his gaze, as if he was noting a name and a face and filing it away for later potential usage. "Sellsword Ajax, it's nice to meet you on this delightful occasion," he declares regally before his eyes are drawn to the next round of tosses, possibly in case he needs to begin dodging. "Reese does firmly believe in challenging herself in a variety of situations. Always training for the unexpected, that one."

"No," Evaristo says, swaying a bit, "but that's a GREAT idea, I can't miss," he says, which is entirely wrong. He turns his back to the dart board and randomly throws the darts. Of course, they don't hit. One flies over towards a piece of furniture and sticks there. The other one just sort of sadly flops to the floor. "I hit, right?"

"Well, they're fun, but they're no drinking.", Prince Luca mentions after he's cast out his last pair of darts. Despite his talk, he might've done this a time or two before somewhere else. He's off to find a bottle even before he can tell who might have won, or be winning, and he sweeps Elgana along with him as he goes. "Maybe I've just had a lot more practice at one..", he adds, cutting a sharp grin out of the moment for the Redrain princess.

Reese looks over to Simon, cheering for his bullseye. "Oh, you are good!" She says toward the man. She then tries to make sure she doesn't get hit by any wild darts and Reese is pretty nimble. She looks over to Alaric, nodding toward her cousin. "Oh, I always do your highness. I want to be as prepared for every possible danger as I can be, including drunken darts."

Wyatt doesn't completely finish waving cheerfully to Daniella when he throws a dart, the dart actually turning slightly so it waps sidelong below the board and sadly lays on the floor. He then smiles cheerfully at Simon's suggestion, "Hey that's a great idea. It can't go any worse, right?" He turns around, and throws wildly... the dart hitting a widow, breaking the upper pane and going outside. There's a sound of a dog barking. Wyatt rubs the back of his neck, "Okay I'm done with darts for a bit."

Scythia's still prowling around the outskirts, taking in the general ambiance, though let's face facts... she is going to have to grin at the sight of the drunken dart tossing. Yes, she might be selecting a glass of something alcoholic (Lenosian Red? Whiskey? It matters not) to hide said smile soon enough, but it is there. She settles in for people watching and so such things as Wyatt's wave and Reese's greeting of course are caught. To the first, bemused still, she is offering forth a portrait perfect curtsy and a curious look. Thereafter a similar, albeit deeper deeper, is offered toward Reese. "Always a pleasure, your highness," she says warmly in turn. Her attention roams toward the host of the dart throwing and she tilts her head, curious, but not yet disturbing her.

"I think..." Simon trails as he squints to the board, pointing a finger accusingly at one of the many darts. His finger weaves and bobs through the air, so it's really not certain which dart he's pointing at. "That one's yours. Good show, my friend!" He pats Evaristo heavily on the shoulder. And then a window breaks. He doesn't even flinch. "Everything is fine!"

Reese makes sure to stay out of the way of Wyatt's dart and she tries to subtly keep such away from the king too if possible. Still she has a bright smile for the Lord. "I am glad you joined, Lord Wyatt." she say with no mocking in her voice.


Shots and then we begin Round 7! (Again, 2 rolls to Jennyva, this time difficulty of 48! That liquor is /stronk/!)

It's quiet but it's applause as Elgana gives Luca a little bit of some as he takes his last throws. "Well done," she says, hopeful, as she is swept along with the Grayson prince as the hunt for more alcohol commences. "Drunken darts seem both dangerous and exciting," she muses to him. Another glass is deposited to be taken care of by the servants but this time she snatches up a little nibble of something savory and then something sweet, why not a little bit of both?

Kaia smiles cheerfully and gives a slight nod of the head, "Ah, thank you, lady you are too kind," She says with a smile at the comment referring to her appearance, and then "and, it was the least I could do for the Shepherds!" she said politely. "And, of course, I shall do so!~ " she continues, before directing a sweet small grin and a courteous nod to those gathered who were yet unknown to her, but still had taken their time to direct their curious yet attentive gazes to greet her. Her eyes moved towards the familiar and cheerful voice that greeted her, "Ah, princess Reese, likewise! I do hope you are well and enjoying yourself?" she said, the statement, sounding a bit like a question at the end.

Quenia gets all turned around after yet more shots of alcohol, and she furrows her brow, eyeing that dart board. It takes her a long, long time before she throws, and they are half-hearted throws at best. The fall short of the board, and drop to the floor. She stares at them a moment, and then goes to find a seat to literally flop into. Yep. She's done!

Quenia has joined the a walnut wooden table stained a red-brown.

Evaristo waves his hand around this time, sort of sideways facing the board. "Woops," he says as the second dart just flies out of his hand as he's drinking at the same time. It flies... towards some of those grayson guards guarding the king.


Shots and then we begin Round 8 (Again, 2 rolls to Jennyva, this time difficulty of 57! We are in the home stretch, don't puke in the plants plz)

Reese peeks over to Kaia, nodding in response to her words. "Oh, I am. I very much like darts and the Shepherds are great hosts." he says, before adding. "I love the dress with with the sapphire blue seasilk and crimson ribbons."

"DUCK!" Simon yells out to the guards, very helpfully - and minutes too late, it seems. Oh well. He throws his darts and they hit the board again, "You need more drink, Evaristo! Your aim can only get better from here."

After an inordinate length of time spent browsing the tables - it must take a lot to stoke a carcass that long - Raymesin goes to find himself a third glass of wine and a safe place to lean. Between one of the Shepherd guards and one of the King's Own, that's probably safe enough. Probably.

Alaric ends up with an inbound message (and an inbound dart). While he reads the message, one of his knights blandly stops the dart with her shield. He stands up with a quick smile. "It's been a delight to be here tonight, but I am needed elsewhere, it seems. Best of luck to the remaining contestants." He glances at Jennyva. "Or maybe I should say, best of luck to the puppy," he quips. "Gods light your path, everyone."

When a servant comes to bring Quenia more to drink, she shakes her head, waving them off. "Tea please. Plain, no sugar, no cream," she tells them, unable to help slurring her words a bit. Best to start sobering up now so she can walk back to her home! She goes about watching the drunk darts game, giving Simon and the others who've survived so far a goofy drunken sort of grin.

"Hold my drink!" Simon declares to some passing person, and shoves an empty glass in their hands - because obviously he drinks first. Then, he grabs Evaristo by the shoulders. "Now it's time to throw it over /your/ shoulder,' he positions Evaristo properly, assuming he goes willingly.. but either way, Simon's throwing darts over the Captain. He shoots, and he scores! Another bullseye, instead of Evaristo-eye.

Alaric has left the a comfortable blue sofa with ivory pillows.

Ajax lowers his head towards the leaving Alaric.

Zelda, the royal messenger, 13 King's Own Guardsmen leave, following Alaric.

Malcolm appears, again, in the dining hall in his usual high spirits. Fueled by Northern spirits, surely, because there's a-glimmer in the eye that wasn't there before, and the off-key hum is present. He takes up a plate, strides along the length of the buffet table - piling up all sorts of vittles - and he angles himself toward a place to tuck himself into a place to sit and eat. "Uh-oh," because Malcolm's heard a series of infamous words -- "keep a hand on your asses, folks, Simon just said the thing."

Kaldur ambles in, directed by helpful staff, the Seliki Sword and lord, looking around the be-headed hall with some interest. Gawping, a bit, truth told. He squints at one particularly handsomely mounted mountain goat - its magestic horns backswept and curling. "Is that a ... dart?" There's a dart sticking out of the thing's neck. Perhaps that's how it was killed! He looks to where there are folk lining up to take shots at the board and judges the expected trajectories as much larger than one might imagine. The call of 'duck' has him doing so! He uncurls and looks around, grinning. He edges out of the King's outbound path, "Goodbye, Your Magesty." And, a dozen or so targets now gone from the room, Kaldur looks about for familiar faces amidst the remaining throng.

"Thank you for coming your Majesty. I know it's getting late. Stop in any time you like!" Jennyva says chipperly and also waves to Daniella and another person she's sure left while she was helping count up each round's score and dodging in between her brother's terrible, terrible throws.

Evaristo drinks the eleventyfifth or so shot. He's lost count. He nods seriously to Simon and stands still, focusing. Raises his hand. Fumbles the dart and drops it on the floor so he has to bend down to pick it up, and manages to step on his own scarf, almost tripping himself. he stands up fast, and with a dramatic toss of his hair. Now guided by Simon, he turns his back to the dart board. "Over your shoulder?" he asks, confused. "Alrgight, if you stand behind me, and then I'll throw..." Whether Simon does or not, the darts are thrown over his shoulder and goes nowhere near the dart board, causing some guests to have to duck out of the way. "Hahahaha, this is hilarious," he declares randomly. "I've never had so much fun throwing darts before. "Later, Your Majesty!" he calls after the king, like the two are old friends that hang out regularly.

Kaia gives a small grin at Reese, "Good to hear!" and then, she nods in agreement. "That they are." At the sound of her praise regarding her attire she beams with a smile. "Thank you, I do too, it was a gift from my cousin Lord Michael." She explains, in a sweet tone.

Desiree has left the a comfortable blue sofa with ivory pillows.

2 House Wyrmguard Guards leaves, following Desiree.


Begin Round 9 (2 rolls to Jennyva, this time difficulty of 67!)

The Fox-Prince certainly seems to be settling in a little now, after that many shots, a lot of them rushing to catch up with him after all the brief heartbeats of startling focus from tossing darts has started to abate. He grows more languid, more leany, with more of a sleepy-eye'd look that comes over his dark gaze. There's people to watch after all, darts and shenanigans and the social dance at work, while he speaks more quietly with Princess Elgana, "Aren't most drunken things more dangerous and exciting? Certain souls seem to get it.", though he can't help the slow wink there is for her. "I can think of at least a few things I wouldn't suggest, though..". Maybe a few of them are what he adds, even more quietly.

Malcolm has joined the by the bear claw hearth.

Catching sight of Alaric, at least in departure, Scythia's eyes are widening and she moves into a swift, deep curtsy, keeping the pose in the wake of the king and all of the King's Own. Gracefully she is moving back to a standing position, doing another sweep of the room. She catches sight of Malcolm, begins to work her way toward him, and -- hears those last words he speaks. She cringes, just a little, and takes a little sip from her liquor before advancing further. This allows her to examine the goat head that was pointed out by Kaldur. "It does indeed appear to be so," she concedes with a flash of a smile. Oops, and she deftly sidesteps another dart.

Reese had one dart that was a impressive bullseye, but after that her next three dart missed the board! She is flushed cheek at that, but still has a smile.

Though, maybe Quenia was not /quite/ ready to give up playing. There might be circumstances, and things, she's working out, and so she gets back up from her chair at the table and then throws a few more darts here and there, after more drinks. For the most part, she's doing pretty lousy now, but did manage one before she flops back down in her seat again.

"No no, over /your/ shoulder!" Simon says to Evaristo, but one way or another, darts are being tossed over either of them. At least Simon's hit the board. Which is why he instructs to the Captain: "Stay here! You are obviously good luck. Don't move!" He plunks one elbow down on Evaristo's shoulder and hoists himself up onto his feet, swaying dangerously from side to side as he aims the darts over Evaristo's head. The first one goes, wee, right into the board. But he accidentally knocks himself into the captain with the second dart, and said dart arches awkwardly to hit the ground right behind the Captain. "Oh well."

"This is teamwork," Evaristo notes, leaning up on Simon. Question is who is supporting whom. "What is in these shots? I can't feel my toes," he says randomly. "Oh wait haha, you're standing on my feet," he tells Simon and tries to shuffle him away a bit to throw his own darts. The first one actually goes towards the target, mostly. Flies over but doesn't hurt anyone. Next one? It bounces OFF the board and falls to the ground. "Does that count?"

"Scy -- err, Lady Scythia," Malcolm's waving toward his protege with his hand, yeah, the one he is picking food off his plate with. Like he's never heard of eating utensils. They're a suggestion, right? Not a rule. "Lady Scythia Redreef, all, she's my protege. There's my cousin, Wyatt. There's my other cousin, Jennyva. And that's Simon over there - see? Right there. He's probably the one that darted the goat. Or Wyatt. I dunno which."


FINAL ROUND! Our livers are likely in revolt, but here we are.... 2 Rolls. Difficulty 78.

Poor Jenny wasn't expecting that hail of fail. She stands in front of the target this time. Literally the safest place in all of Arvum.

Quenia takes the final drink and looks absolutely /relieved/ that's the final round, as she's starting to look a bit green around the gills. She's not used to drinking QUITE so much. She rises to her feet a bit unsteadily, and tosses the final darts. They both plunk harmlessly to the ground.

Elgana keeps one eye on the dart game and the other fixed upon Luca as they share conversation and quips, along with whatever gets murmured between the pair. She grins at the prince, giving a little shake of her dark head that scatters some curls along her shoulders. "I don't doubt that you would know of some things that mix both danger and alcohol, highness." But that doesn't stop her from leaning in to listen, a little blossom of color on her cheeks that's somewhat darker from that left behind by the alcohol she's been enjoying. She murmurs and then turns back to the darts for another moment.

Evaristo checked dexterity + dodge at difficulty 15, rolling 19 higher.

At the sound of 'duck' she finds herself slightly doing so -just like a few others in the room. Without chance to meet, she caught sight of the King and his entourage taking their leave too late to offer a courteous bow or anything; she did, however, caught sight just then of a familiar face she had come across just a few days ago. "Lord Seliki! ~" she chimed, in hope to catch his attention, before giving a friendly wave. "How lovely to find you here, are you close to the Shepherds?" she asks casually -not that it really mattered.

Reese's next darts go wild! Some people might want to dodge. It does seem on accident though! One slams into Evaristo's shoulder. Reese winces and looks mortified. "Oh, sorry!" She says and heads over toward him.

"I'm not standing on your toes, you are standing on /mine/," Simon says to Evaristo, but it isn't true. He really was standing on Evaristo's boots. "All right, one more show. Under the leg!" It's an incredibly amazing show of dexterity, how he picks up a leg and tilts to shoot the next dart at the target - BULLSEYE! - and only after falls flat on his face. The other dart sort of just tumbles to the ground. "I'm fine!" he picks himself up, and then recoils back when a dart slams into Evaristo's shoulder. "He's fine too!" He thinks.

Evaristo has forgotten why he's throwing darts by now and just sort of randomly tosses them in the direction of the board while he grabs a bottle and drinks right from it. Then a dart lodges itself in his arm, but he doesn't even notice much. He lowers the bottle and frowns a bit, looking around like something isn't quite right. "Huh?" he tells Reese. "You're really pretty in pink," he tells her, giving her a drunken smile. "Did I win?" he asks of Jennyva. "I feel like I won something! This booze is amazing."

Raymesin, half his cover departing with the King, winces at the low-flying darts being launched seemingly in all directions. He takes another sip from his glass, then ambles back to the table again for some more of whatever those delicious little... things... were. All with a wary eye for more low-flying darts, or, in fact, low-flying people.

Reese seems to be a bit drink now and it seems likely she did help herself the abundant offerings here. She looks toward Evaristo. "If you think getting hit with a dart is winning then I guess you won!" She says toward him. She gives Malcolm a wave upon noticing that the Duke returned.

Kaldur blinks at the dart that sends Scythia shifting and huffs a laugh. He offers a bow to her and looks back at the mountain goat's neck. "Pretty impressive to take a ram with a dart." He grins at Scythia, driving dimples deep, and glances up at his name being called. Scanning, he spies Prince Luca across the room and his smile falters. A blink later he continues his scan and finds Kaia. "Lady Kaia," he waves in return. Looking around and spotting several Shepherds, "I'm close to quite a few just now!"

With her name called, Scythia is offering a friendly smile to Kaldur, or perhaps the be-darted goat, before traveling over toward Malcolm. On her way there she is acquiring a set of silverware in hand, but no actual food. Peculiar! "Spectacular feat, my lord. Compliments to you and yours." She greets him with a curtsy, just so, before moving vaguely off to his side and a little behind. A smile and swift curtsy is delivered to each person as they are pointed out. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance," she says, voice pitched to carry but not to actually distract. Kaia's call of Seliki though has her looking back that-a-way, curiously.

Wyatt looks taken aback at Malcolm, "You took a noble as a protege?" He glances back towards Scythia in shock and then smiles brightly, "Wow. You really did. That's great! Malcolm, that's practically ducal!" He fist pumps, "Good for you!" He then clears his throat and turns back towards Scythia, "Ah, that is, good to meet you, Lady Scythia."

"I think you did win," Simon offers from his place on the ground up to Evaristo. "I also think this room has started to spin."

Reese looks over to Kaldur, having a smile for the Lord when he arrives. She then looks over to Wyatt and then Scythia. "Congrats!" She says toward her. "He is very lucky to have a Lady such as yourself as a protege." She says gently, but she seems to think they are both lucky.

Quenia seems grateful when the tea has come to the table, and she does her best to sip at it, hands shaking a tiny bit from overindulging in the alcohol. She takes it nice and slow, though doesn't look too great in general.


**********************************************************************
It is a beautiful spring afternoon; the sun glints off the river, and the docks are as busy and full of trade as ever. With such crowds along the waterfront, word spreads quickly of the strange ship that makes its way up the river. It bears no resemblance to the Eurusi and Cardian vessels that occasionally ply their trade in the Compact; this one clearly hails from a far different land, and flies a sail seemingly made of metal -- yet metal that flexes in the wind just as cloth would.

As it comes alongside the docks, before anyone can even emplace a ramp or ladder, a woman with jet-black hair comes to the railing; she looks down at the crowds below, and then suddenly climbs up onto the railing. Springing up on one foot, she leaps /impossibly/ high, soaring up into the sky as though she might simply fly away. But instead, she soon plummets downwards. The crowd below scatters, giving space for her inevitable grisly landing.

Yet it's not grisly; she lands in a perfect crouch, unharmed, one leg and both arms outstretched. She quickly rises, surveying the crowd assembled. Then she begins to speak, making a proclamation about the Words of the Undying Emperor; though she does not shout, her voice carries clearly across the docks, and all can hear every word over the surprised murmuring.

When she finishes, she does not await a reaction. She simply turns once more, taking hold of a rope that's been lowered from the deck of the ship, and quickly scales back aboard.

Though the crew continue to move about on deck, no one else makes any sign of disembarking; the rope is pulled up after the woman boards. And then ship merely sits there, as though it, too, awaits word.
**********************************************************************


Jennyva pulls out her clipboard and takes her pen and gets all those numbers tallied up and when she runs into a little snag she confers with her brother who is just wonderful at mathy wizardry. "Alright... So... I have a shocking revelation to.. reveal! We have a winner! And that winner is............ Simon!"

While the flow of alcohol through the dining room seems to bring a certain wildness to some, Prince Luca cozies in on himself like his own little hearth fire. Even now he has a bottle of something in his hand, movements a thickened meander, nothing at all about the man that's in a hurry, at ease in the conversation he's having, dark eyes cutting over to watch Princess Elgana again, "I suppose I've been accused of worse.", and while he doesn't laugh, anyone might notice it there in his eyes. "The Shepherds are something else, aren't they? They can put a thing together.".

Reese is overheard praising Simon: Yay, dart champion!

Reese is overheard praising Jennyva: Yay, a great hostest!

"Wooah. It is spinning. That's amazing," Evaristo says, finding everything to be quite splendid. He's drunk, for sure, but still standing up at least. BArely. He's got one hand against a wall just to be safe. "It's fine, I'm a sailor. I got perfect balance." Still, he won't let go of that wall, smiling brightly at Simon and Reese. He eyes the dart on his shoulder now, looking bewildered as he pulls it out, some blood on the tip of it. "I don't remember putting that there." He drops the dart on the table and does a wooping cheer for Simon. "Bravo, my friend!"

"Better in blue, Captain Evaristo, from what I've been insisting -" Malcolm counters to the drunk fellow with a cheery little wiggle of his fingers, waving back at Reese, "Someone's won. Unless someone's won only one -- but, err, I didn't think we were goin' to keep at it for that long. People will end up dyin'. That's bad social practice, from what I've been told. Uh, yeah, Wyatt? Yeah, I did. On account that I'm noble now - you see, the most fancy of silks. She's a courtier." His questioning gaze flicks toward the Redreef, "You are, ain't ya, Lady Scythia?"

"Simon, Simon? Who is that?" asks Simon from his position on the floor, practically cross-eyed at this point. It takes him a minute to determine that /he/ is in fact Simon, and he starts to shake his head as he unsteadily gets to his feet. "No no, I can't accept," he waves his hands up to Jennyva. "The great Ambassador to our House can't go to someone /in/ our house! So he must go to the next best, and I think that is.." he points his finger about the room, landing on Evaristo. "You! You will have to take care of the dog. He will like your spider. And probably your boat."

Evaristo is overheard praising Jennyva: Best party ever!

Ajax's hands come together as he gives Simon an easy going smile, "Well, done, ser. he chuckles, just seeming to enjoy the revelries. "

Simon is overheard praising Evaristo: Second best winner!

Simon is overheard praising Jennyva: First best hostess!

Simon is overheard praising Malcolm: First best Duke!

Reese is overheard praising Malcolm: Yay, Shepherds!

Raymesin is overheard praising Jennyva: Thanks for the invite. An' the grub. An' the entertainment.

For a moment, just a moment, Scythia has to bow her head and lift her hand, a fingertip or two pressing to her brow. The whole thing takes less than a trio of seconds and her hand is fluttering away and her expression is completely serene. Maybe there is a sliver of amusement there. Just a tad. "Are you certain that he is a cousin and not a brother, my lord?" she asks of Malcolm, discreetly sliding her silverware there upon his place. It is for show at least. "He certainly resembles you." She punctuates these words with a grin, though Reese's commentary has her smiling in full. "Clasped hands, your highness, I believe suits us both. I am greatly honored that my lord thought highly enough of me to take me on." To Malcolm, she bows her head. "I am, my lord."

Scythia is overheard praising Jennyva: An excellent feat!

She brightly beams to Evaristo. "Congratulations! And Elsa tells me that she will even give you five free puppy training lessons so you can be assured that she will be a good little sailor!" Jennyva claps her hands excitedly!

Unaware, as yet, of any shiny new boats or proclamations being made, Quenia claps to Simon's victory. "Well done!" she says, slurring her words a bit. More tea! She needs more tea! And so she drinks more of it in order to sober up a bit more so she can actually /get/ home after that game. She smiles goofily at Simon and Jennyva, then goes back to her tea.

Scythia is overheard praising Jennyva.

Scythia is overheard praising Simon.

"Congratulations, to both of you!" Elsaa calls out with a broad grin and a round of applause before turning back to retrieve her glass. Moving through the gathered people, she approaches Malcolm and smiles at him, "Malcolm. Congratulations to you as well, for finding a protege!" Hearing her name, she casts her gaze about before landing on Evaristo and giving a nod, "Only let me know when you wish to begin her training and I'll make sure that she receives the best of training!"

Scythia is overheard praising Wyatt.

Reese's cheeks pale and the girl winces as Evaristo pulls out the dart. "I am sorry Master Evaristo. I think that maybe I drank a bit more than I realized." She says even as a touch of pink warms her cheeks. She looks over to Malcolm. "One day I will dress in blue." She says, but the princess does have a touch of blue on. She has another gentle smile for Scythia, seemingly pleased for the Lady.

Scythia is overheard praising Malcolm.

Quenia is overheard praising Jennyva: A well planned event! Huzzah!

"Have you? Hm." Elgana doesn't seem worried by Luca's words as she remains there at his side. Another little murmur is passed between them but then the Redrain gives an apologetic smile to the Grayson prince. "I have to be on my way I fear but I'm certain I'll run into you again somewhere in the wilds of Arx again soon." She dips into a curtsy before she turns and says to the Shepherds, "Thank you for the lovely party. It was good to meet you." And then off she goes, in a bit of a hurry.

Lille, the dauntless companion, 2 Redrain Guards leave, following Elgana.

"Cousin. Probably a cousin. Like, I'm fairly certainly there's a blood relation 'tween us, Lady Scythia, although he's got the Graypeak's share of the smarts. You know? Only, when he's not in his cups. It's good to see 'im unwind some. Oh, huh -- those are mine, aren't they? Fine." Now Malcolm's using a fork. He spears bits of meat with it, amused, grinning broadly. "It's a benefit for us all, 'tis. I agree." Then, happily, "I might learn some manners yet." He laughs, "Slim chances are still chances, right?"

Evaristo looks a bit dazed and confused, and takes a sip of the alcohol to help clear his mind. "Wait wait... I'm winning? A puppy?" he says and looks like he's quite floored. "But..." He's just stunned, staring at the animal in question. "I should probably not take a dog with me anywhere tonight." He's that self aware. He might be drunker than a skunk, but no way is he taking care of an animal in THAT state. For the animal's sake. "Princess, it was a pleasure. You can throw darts at me any day, I'm fine!" He tries to focus on everything, smiling a dopey smile. "Err, yes. Training. I don't know the first thing about taking care of a dog."

Fancy, the highly discerning Graypeak Mountain pup have been dismissed.

"Thanks yourself, cousin Els, for bein' so sharp that you're offering lessons to the new owner of Fancy. That's like - foresight or somethin'." Malcolm admits with a smile.

Jennyva finally is able to put the clipboard away and notices a newcomer - Kaldur! She gives him a bow, "Hello and welcome, my Lord!" And then to Ajax, still nothing but warm smiles. "And you! Long time no see! I'm glad to see you're keeping well." And to Raymesin, she winks. "Thanks for coming. I was hoping I'd get to see you play drunken darts with us. Tsk tsk." And then, to Evaristo. "Fancy is a wonderful dog. I've enjoyed her this past week or two."

When Quenia finally feels steady enough to rise to her feet, she does, and then walks over to Malcolm. "Duke Malcolm," she greets softly. "I had hoped to see you so that I might give you this bottle of Igniseri wine. You are, I believe, the second or third person to get a bottle of our peach wine before we debut it to Arx in the coming weeks. We certainly hope that you shall enjoy it." She offers him a warm, if not a bit tipsy, smile as she hands over the peach wine.

Quenia drops pale peach wine from Granato.

Ajax lips curl into a warm smile over towards Jennyva, "O' course, lady Shepard. See you again, my friend." the man turns to leave as he dips his head towards those still gathered, he trudges his way towards the door proper heading outwards.

Evaristo now sort of collapses on a seat, with that dopey smile on his face still. It's hard to tell if he even really understands what's happening. "I do like the name," he says. "Just begs to say 'Oh aren't you Fancy'," he jokes. "Thank you all so very much! I will look after him and spoil him rotten..." And then he faceplants into the table.

"Cousin it is," murmurs Scythia in turn toward Malcolm, and to the rest, there is just a vague smile flashed before she shakes her head. Elsa's compliment has her flashing an easy smile that-a-way before she is murmuring to the Duke, "Now, my lord. I believe that you said I would likely get along famously with one of your family members. Might I ask for who it might be?" She is looking from one to the other before swinging her focus back to Lady Elsa. "She?" she asks of him, with a nod that-a-way. "Or the Lady Jennyva?"

A messenger then soon comes to Quenia, bearing the news of the newest ship and the proclamation and she pales a bit. More than a bit really. And, she suddenly sobers quite a bit more. "If you'll excuse me...." she then starts for the door.

"Thank you most kindly, Marquessa Quenia," Malcolm's rising, and sorta - kinda - maybe trying to offer her a bow from a mostly seated position. Then he sits back down, looks over, and he looks over at Scythia -- "Lady Jennyva, yeah." Then the thud of head meeting walnut rattles his plate and Malcolm glances over at Evaristo. "That guy's good folk."

Quenia has left the a walnut wooden table stained a red-brown.

Raymesin offers Jennyva a shrug and a faint smile at her words. "I ain't got much use for a dog," he says to her, the Lowers accent matching the scuffed and scarred black leathers, "An' bein' drunk ain't smart where I live. Was worth watchin', though, the throwin'." His pale eyes flick towards the broken window, then return to Jennyva. "Kinda expensive party, though."

"You're going to be a great dog.." Simon begins to say to Evaristo, only for his head to hit the table. ".. Father." He finishes his sentence, then dusts off his hands. "My work here is done!" He declares, and then disappears into the crowd to find more to drink.

Now that Prince Luca's conversation has flitted off and he's a little deep in his cups to bother with finding another distraction, he sinks in against his chair that much more and finds something to kick his boots up on while he searches out a flask somewhere on his person. He finds it inside his coat, takes a long drink after a quick uncapping, and looks for all the world like maybe he's found a napping place. He might as well be turning in circles.

Ajax has left the a comfortable blue sofa with ivory pillows.

She beams to Scythis, "Why hello! Sorry I didn't greet you at the door." Jennyva dips her head to her politely, glancing back to Evaristo. "I agree! He always makes me grin. Was nice to meet him over at the Shrine." She glances up at Raymesin, then to the broken window, still chuckling to herself. "You don't get parties where you get drunk and accidentally break stuff in the Lowers? Were we that heavy handed with the darts?"

Kaldur has arrived just in time for the festivities to wrap up. He gives a sharp whistle and boisterous bellow for Simon's victory, though with all the sloshiness it's still not totally clear to him what's happening. He smiles warmly at Jennyva, teeth flashing, "Seems a-" he grins broader at the pane of glass high above, shattered, "-a smashing success."

Chuckling at Malcolm, Elsa gives a small shake of her head, "No foresight, I approached Jennyva during the contest to offer a little extra to the prize is all." She turns her gaze towards Scythia and chuckles softly, "I'm certain he wouldn't have meant me, my lady. I'm hardly suitable company for such a young and vibrant woman as yourself." Winking, she finishes what remains in her glass and sets it carefully on a passing tray before turning to seek out new faces. She finds her way towards the one that appears to be ready to nod off at the party, taking a seat nearby and leaning in casually towards Luca to offer, "If Your Highness is pondering a nap, we could have more pillows brought in.. perhaps a few blankets and stacking chairs? I hear pillow and blanket forts are -all- the rage."

Simon has left the a comfortable blue sofa with ivory pillows.

"Speaking of which, I see the Duke has just returned. I'll be ,making my way over there to offer my greetings before it's too late." She mentions casually to Kaldur, before making her way over to where Malcolm was partaking in his dinner. "Duke Malcolm, I wanted to say my hello's before departing. It's lovely to see you again. Thank you for having me here. I left a scrumptious gift for the family with the Lady Jennyva, I do hope it's to your liking."

"It's a pleasure, Lady Kaia, and I'm sure we'll enjoy your hearth-warming gift tomorrow once we're all hungover." The Shepherd Duke flashes a smile.

"Thank you, my lord. I shall need to steal her away when she is not in the midst of hosting such a thing for conversation," murmurs Scythia rather easily in turn toward Malcolm. Yet when Jennyva is focusing on her, she is flashing a smile toward the lady and murmuring, "Think nothing of it, you have done an *exceptional* thing here. It is I that should apologize for being late." Now, Elsa's commentary? That just has her nose crinkling a bit with her smile, for she is clearly amused. "My Lady," she counters. "I believe that we *all* perhaps might go out for an evening and enjoy some rum, or wine, or whiskey or whatever the preference is. The important part is the conversation." She bows her head with that and steps back to acquire another drink for herself.