Postby Ally-Ann » Thu Sep 12, 2013 5:44 pm
~+Orion+~
Orion walked through the servants' quarters hall, his heavy boots echoing and bouncing off the walls. The hallway was narrow-- only two grown men would be able to fit shoulder-to-shoulder width-wise-- and it was dimly lit with slow-burning candles that sat on posts inside hollowed-out squares in the stone walls. The floor was made of stone slabs, and as the knight passed the shabby, wooden doors, he wondered if the majority of the servants were put to work, or if they were being granted leave-time like he was. He supposed it was the former, seeing as the ball seemed to be running smoothly thus far. His long strides soon had him at the end of the hallway, where there was a simple wooden door with an iron doorknob. The knight twisted it, pushed open the door, and found himself standing in a wide, beautiful corridor, with white walls, tall, arched windows with silver panes that let the bright sun shine through, and the ceiling was decorated with beautiful frescoes of cherubs, nymphs, and gods, circling round in-roof windows. Along the walls of the hallway, there were white-painted doors spaced apart from each other quite generously, and Orion then knew that he was in the guest quarters, where many of the guests from far, far away would be spending the night, most of whom were likely nobles and vassals. The lower castes would be getting different rooms that weren't quite as nice, but still decent and up to par with the best inns in the land.
After walking down the long corridor, Orion walked through a pair of double doors, stepping into the main foyer of the castle where the ball was being held, where people mingled and chatted and laughed, the sounds of hundreds of people greeting Orion's ears. The knight inhaled deeply through his nose, relishing the scent of fine, smoked meats, rich cheeses, heavenly desserts, and marvelous aroma of sweet wines, cordials, and beers. As he walked through the crowds, chin held high and back straight, Orion found himself feasting his eyes upon a few noble women, all of whom were dressed in silk and satin gowns that were either solid-colored or floral-patterned. They laughed merrily with noblemen, glasses of cordial and wine held daintily in their hands. The knight kept his head facing forward, but he watched them out of the corner of his eye as he plucked a stuffed mushroom from a silver platter that a servant was carrying around. They seem to be some of the highest noblewomen here. They're even wearing cosmetics, he mused to himself, vaguely wondering if his "favorite" cousin would be attending the ball. Biting into the mushroom, he turned his attention to a man-- a vassal, to be specific-- who was busy with sloppily stuffing his mouth full of smoked turkey and chicken. Orion inwardly grimaced at the sight and continued to walk through the crowd, bowing at the waist a few times for a few women and complimenting some men on their attire.
Though he thought the princess's large birthday ball to be absurd, Orion would be lying in saying that he hated it all.
~|Josephine|~
Josephine smiled at Lachlan, nodding at him before dismounting from her horse with ease. "Yes please, thank you," she replied, grateful that he was willing to take Alphonse to the stable. She removed her pack of clothes and accessories from her saddle, slinging it over her shoulder. Alphonse looked from Josephine to Lachlan, huffing slightly and giving the man a strange look of disdain. Josephine rolled her eyes, placing her hand on her hip. "Oh, come on, Alphonse, you're not above staying in a stable." The Arabian horse simply blinked and looked away from her, not at all amused. The noble waved her hand flippantly at him. "Fine, be that way."