The Sensatian Ball (Open)

[Kender Bard]

SENSATIAMENS, SENSATIA - SPRING YEAR 1022

[[Guests are high profile citizens, such as well-known Mind healers, advisers to the Master, and similar. Each invited guest may bring along as many guests as they wish, however, and the security on checking who comes in is fairly lax so long as guests look well dressed and not like simple common street riff-raff. Therefore, most characters in Sensatia can join as long as they make an effort to look like they belong there.]]

Lady Luna Kenway moved about her home, fussing over details. She'd saved up quite a bit for this night and was enjoying overlooking the details as servants rushed to put out food and drinks on long tables and entertainers prepared to earn their pay.

She felt a great sense of pride... and homesickness... welling up within her. Had she married a man of rank in Caelium, this likely would have been her finest hour--her first ball as a noblewoman.

As it was, putting on the first ball of Sensatia was quite a noteworthy achievement as well. She eagerly looked forward to the arrival of guests.

[Northen Light36]

Flame was feeling a little homesick herself as she teleported to Sensatia and her brother's (she could never quite think of it as home herself) house and called mentally, ~I know, Libre. I'm a little late. Sorry. There was a lot to do in the clan and I got caught up. Johan and I are here now though.~

She smiled up at Johan, noting with amusement that he seemed as uncomfortable with the formal wear as she was. "Not much like a party at home, I fear, but this is the price we pay for my being the Master of Sensatia's little sister. Thanks for coming, Johan."

[Devon]

Xavier was there to help his wife as needed, but it seemed Luna had everything under control. So his biggest contribution to helping was making sure Nubilous was presentable and not too bored with all that was going on. He had made sure Nubilous was almost a splitting image of him, both dressed sharply in their family's House colors. He had been less inclined to bother Timble about how to dress, he knew Timble would look nice but probably strive for more comfort than anything.

Approaching his wife, with his youngest son in tow, he asked, "How do we look?"

[Kender Bard]

Nubilous tugged at his collar, a trifle uncomfortable in the new outfit. He also felt a mixture of strangeness and pride at looking like his father.

"Like a matching pair," Luna replied, bending to smooth back some of Nubilous's fine hair. Her tone was a bit neutral on that--she understood Xavier's desire to dress their son as he did, and she didn't feel it was necessary to argue the point if Nubilous didn't mind, which to her eyes he did not seem to. "You look just like your father."

Nubilous smiled and puffed up a bit.

Timble wandered into the room with Divria on his arm. Side by side, the two still looked strikingly similar--and of course they would--but even clothing and hair could no longer conceal how different they were from each other simply by how they carried themselves.

Timble was wearing something nice but, as Xavier had predicted, more comfortable than showy. He had dark black pants and black calf boots. His tunic was of fine material, colored a deep dark purple, complemented with a sash of much brighter purple and covered in Beastland-style designs (very popular in Sensatia at the moment.) He'd even taken out his favorite headband. He had an ornamental scabbard at his hip with a peacebonded sword even if he didn't really care to use it. It was tin--if a fight broke out in his own home, he was just a room away from his best weapons.

Divria was wearing a modified sontief in bright red, the hems in a patterned orange-red and mashing waistband (a dash of Crystalander to the ensemble that someone had thought up). Embroidery done in gold made a howling wolf's head along her back and small moon motifs covered the front side in homage to their house.

Luna had gotten her hands on a Sulan gown done in the colors of the family as well. The garment was primarily a soft shade of purple but faded to blue in the skirt. It was a breezy garment, a loose skirt covered in diaphanous fabric that trailed down from the waist. The same material comprised her sleeves entirely, which hung down to the floor with long slits to allow her to actually move her arms. Lace was in abundance.

"You look beautiful darlings," Luna greeted the twins, going to give Timble a quick hug. Divria let go of her brother and wandered over to a window to look out. She had been quiet and had a tendency to mope about since the events of the war after reuniting with her family. Luna hoped the ball would put her in better spirits.

---

Libre was hurriedly moving about his room as he hunted down an amethyst pin for his outfit. It was an expensive gift, cut to look almost like the bird that was Sensatia's crest.

~I'm glad you could come~ Libre greeted Flame affectionately, distractedly. He did pause a moment at the mention of Johan. He didn't remember inviting the young man...

...But it would be mean of him to force Flame to attend a ball alone. In fact there would have been a good chance, he worried, she would not have come at all.

People need to see her more, Libre thought determinedly as he affixed his pin and re-examined himself in his mirror. She's a part of this family. That puts her in a position of, if not authority, then at least respect in the nation. These are her people too.

Pleased, he hurried out of his room to join his sister.

[Devon]

Xavier knelt down and adjusted Nubilous' collar for him, loosening it until it was comfortable. Moving to the twins, he playfully pat Timble on the back complementing him on his attire. To Divria he quietly joined her by the window and put an arm around her shoulder, "You look beautiful Divria," he told her.

[Skittlebug]

Johan cleared his throat and shifted, again, in his outfit before smiling to Flame. "Of course." While he might not be comfortable, he was interested in being seen.

[Northen Light36]

Flame smiled warmly back and took her hand away from her sign to massage her forehead a bit. "Libre's on his way down. Even if I had the teleport imagery to get to the ball, I'm afraid I don't have another teleport in me tonight. It's just not my specialty."

She brushed off the skirt of her dress and resisted the urge to pull a face. It was a pretty dress, done suitably in her house colours and it flattered her figure nicely... But it just felt fussy and uncomfortable. More evidence I don't belong here, she thought ruefully to Secret, watching the cat leap up onto a windowsil to make herself comfortable.

~You'll do fine,~ Secret replied.

[Kender Bard]

"Thank you, father," Divria murmured leaning into his embrace a little. "I like it too."

"You'll be sure to dance tonight, won't you dear?" Luna asked Divria.

Divria mustered a smile. "Yes, I promise. I'm sorry, it's not that I'm not excited. My mind just keeps wandering."

---

Libre smiled at Flame as he approached and leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek. "You look very pretty," he told her, though he found it odd to see her outside of Naurite garb. "Are you both ready?"

[Northen Light36]

"To trip over my skirt and make a fool of myself?" Flame replied with a grin. "Certainly. You look fantastic, Libre."

[Devon]

Xavier gave Divria a peck on the forehead. "Save a dance for me then," he said with a smile. Moving over to his wife he gave her a quick kiss, "You look amazing as well, I hope Nubilous doesn't beat me to getting the first dance with you."

[Kender Bard]

"Thank you, Flame," Libre replied with a smile. He held out his hand to her. "Come on, let's go."

---

"Thank you," Luna murmured as she gave Xavier a kiss back.

The guests began to arrive then, most of them politely refraining from teleporting into the house proper (not that many of them had the imagery to do it) and instead coming in through the front door on foot. They were mostly mind healers, wealthy citizens, and other well-to-do folk. Given Sensatia's diverse taste in clothing, everyone had something unique to wear though there was a definite theme of Beastland imagery to be found in men and women alike.

Luna froze, not sure where to start. Who did she greet first? Three had come at the same time but it was obvious at a glance they weren't a party together.

[Devon]

Xavier stepped forward and put his hand on the small of Luna's back. "Welcome," he said loudly greeting everyone. "Please make yourselves comfortable, there is food and drink aplenty here," he told them waiting for Luna to join him.

[Kender Bard]

Luna moved up beside him, her stomach fluttering a bit. I didn't think I'd be so nervous but I'm not sure what to do from here, she thought, looking at him meaningfully so he'd listen in to her thoughts.

Divria joined her parents and hovered behind them while Timble scanned around, hoping to find Libre... Or a cute girl to flirt with.

[Devon]

Xavier picked up on her thoughts and sent back, ~Thank them for coming invite them to mingle around a bit, something along those lines.~