paradisalogs | may day masquerade {OPEN!}

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may day masquerade {OPEN!}

what; may day masquerade!
who; Anyone and everyone!
where; Just inside and outside of City Royale.
when; May 1st, early afternoon until late evening
rating; PG to PG-13 to start! If a thread goes into adult territory, please put a warning in the subject.
note; Prefer brackets? Go for it, whatever is most comfortable for you.

Though the May Day of last year had been a grand affair, there had not been enough people attending, because she could not convince more than a few city residents to venture near the castle. This year Anne has brought the party to them, and though a location would have been written on the invitations, there is even more assurance that one won't become lost along the way from the castle. The road is already clear enough, but when it branches away there will be markers, indicated by flower carpets and banners carrying the Tudor rose that will be lit with torches by nightfall, creating a path that leads to the city's outskirts. Here the celebration is spread not only over a grassy incline but also leads into a small square in the merchant's district. Here, free masks decorated with seasonal flowers will be offered in baskets to any who might have arrived without one. Though it is a masquerade, the masks are truly optional.

Light and playful music will begin early in the afternoon, the musicians moving about but most often remaining in the square where the dancing is meant to be, and where merchants are taking advantage of the crowd to sell their wares. The large dais in the center is sturdy but beautiful, with the rose theme continuing in banners that are strung around the base and up into street lamps that won't be lit until dusk arrives. On the dais are makeshift thrones, the same from last year should anyone remember, though they number three instead of four.

Once it seems the majority have shown themselves, Anne will depart from greeting people and lead three masked figures up onto the dais. Even behind ornate masks and striking dress, some might be able to recognize Molotov Cocktease, Brock Samson, and Ben Paul even before she names them. Anne herself is dressed as a phoenix, covered in reds and golds, even in her braided hair, but she is hardly in disguise as she introduces herself (a custom she has gotten used to). Her speech might confuse a few city-dwellers who don't quite understand (or remember) some of what she talks about, but she keeps it as light as she can. ...Which means it's still a mouthful.

"Welcome, beautiful denizens of Cair Paradisa and the City Royale, it is I, Queen Anne. And you are beautiful. All who gather here have come for one reason, and I hope it is for the good of it, as there is not one soul here who does not deserve merriment. This is not only a celebration, but a rebirth! Look around you. Here we are, together as one and still separately unique even after many sufferings. Such different and powerful peoples carry various forms of character, and yet you come together not only against conflict but also to celebrate peace. This gathering is only possible because of the good spirit and hard work of those that hail both from this city and the castle.

"May has come, and as we grow accustom to the changes that have surrounded us, I am reminded that not all surprises must carry fear for us. The year last we were shaken and the ground with us, but in this year the city flourishes in merriment as if untouched. There is much here that is still unknown to us, but some of it is beautiful, and that is what we appreciate now. Spring flourishes, lovers are born, and while we are always aware there to be mystery about, we also discover new truths and these have shaped us. As this city was reborn, so too are we. This will be a year of promise; of a babe's curiosity and scholar's wisdom, but never without God's love.

"Here to lead us in this celebration of newness and adventure is not I, but our May royalty. So many were loved, that again there cannot only be two."

Finally to the point, Anne backs up so that she can motion for each person to sit when she lifts a crown, one woven with roses and other colorful flowers, and two twisted and bent with branches. She names each as she settles the crown upon their head, curtsying after each announcement to playfully show deference to them.

"Queen Molotov. King Brock. And Prince Ben. You honor and delight us, as we defer to you this day."

When they have all been crowned, she'll curtsy again and back off of the stage, allowing them to announce the official start of the partying!

{ Maypole Dance || Dance Floor || The Dais || The Feast || Bonfire }

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A throne. Yes. This is the part of "Queen" that Molotov wanted in on. She's happily taken up her perch to watch the musicians and anyone else who dares try to show off. She's also managed to procure a basket of flower petals (who knows from where) to shower on people who can impress her.

If he had to admit it, seeing Brock and Molotov on thrones was a bizarre enough image that it served as a driving factor for Spike stopping by the festivities. He's easy enough to spot, wearing his usual clothes and a mask he took from one of the town folk, although his smile is more amused than he's worn lately.

"Careful, it'll go to your head." No ceremony in approaching her, he just appears out of the shadows like a creep. He doesn't even have a trick prepared, but nobody explained that part to him the last time.

"Maybe now my head will be as big as yours," she says, only glancing at him from the corner of her eye. "And it's your majesty, peasant."

There's a level of affection in her voice that can be attributed to the large amounts of wine she's had to drink, and she punctuates this by tossing two or three flower petals at him.

"Your majesty." He grins wider, inclining his head enough to show that he's been hanging around queens more often than someone like him should. Or that he used to, whatever. Since they're on such good terms now, he doesn't see any harm in some gentle mocking.

"Did you cheat?"

"No, surprisingly," Molotov says, and crosses her legs at the knee. "Brock might have, but I did not do a single thing." And she means it, really. It's as shocking to her as it is to anyone else.

"Now entertain me, pleb. You got up on this stage, do something to impress me."

He raises an eyebrow. "You got the vocabulary down."

Glancing around though, he didn't realize this was a stage. Like he didn't stick out enough already. Also in doing this, he notices the flower pedal caught in his hair, and rubs it off absently, distracted again. "Where is Brock, anyway?"

"No idea," Molotov shrugs, although she has a sneaking suspicion that her husband is busy getting fatter over at the meat section of the refreshments tables. "His mask is a tree, you should not have that hard of a time finding him."

Not just because of the mask, but also because he's nearly seven feet tall.

"Is that all I am to you, a Brock GPS?"

No, he's sure that he never would have spotted him if it weren't for that helpful tip. It came with a price though, since that question is kind of pointed. Should he have complimented her on her dress first?

"Well, that's kind of what you do when you're around a friend's wife." He has strict instructions to abide by when dealing with Molotov. He'd be surprised if she didn't know about them already and is just fishing for company to bring him back faster.

"What kind of tricks did you want to see?"

Molotov, actually, doesn't know anything about Brock's rules, which makes it more insulting when Spike basically says he doesn't care to speak to her beyond finding out where Brock is. She thought they were friends now! Bastard.

"Being married to your friend doesn't make me not a person," she says, frowning. "I don't know, dance or something. You must have some kind of talent that isn't sleeping in odd places."

They are supposed to be, aren't they? He's surprised she actually cares about it enough to be insulted, but now he reconsiders. Spike stares thoughtfully for a moment, debating on their level of friendship at this point. It'd be a shame to ruin it when he should be making an effort to keep his number of enemies down.

"Dancing by myself isn't one of them." And if implying that dancing with someone else is, he'll risk getting punched for it later. It wouldn't be the first time.

Well, when you're in the terribly small boat that they are, the oldbie boat, you really need to make peace with everyone else. Because it's a rowboat, there's no room for all that negativity. And that's why everyone should rise up and throw Joshua out of the boat.

Molotov squints at him for a moment, almost like she doesn't believe he's serious. "Are you asking me to dance?"

Who's serious? Certainly not Spike if she's going to make a big deal out of it. Being friends with women is always so much more problematic than men. He never quite mastered it.

"...Is this a bad time?"

She was just surprised, it was a pretty quick change of heart on his part! Spike has to learn about the impact of his attitude on other people, good lord.

There's another beat, then Molotov extends her hand to him, rising out of her throne.

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