may day masquerade {OPEN!}

[ensorceler]

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 }

Comments

[toyboat]

Jenny falls silent for a moment, the gears turning in her little head, then stops in her tracks and turns to stare up at Anne. She reaches for Anne's arm even, in awe, and bounces on the balls of her feet.

"I know you! You're Queen Elizabeth's mother! There was Bloody Mary, and she was terrible and made all of England Catholic and killed lots of people, and then Good Queen Bess came to be the Virgin Queen and restore the Church and be loved by everyone! She was here, I missed her?!"

Jenny's time really loved them some Queen Elizabeth.

[ensorceler]

Which is a good thing, really, since if anyone in Jenny's time does know of Anne, it must be in a more positive light than her own time. Elizabeth had done well for Anne's name, at least, but most of all for the Tudor name and Christendom. Though it causes her to be ignored, any mother would swell with intense pride at such praise for her daughter, and Anne's no exception here. Her smile is genuine as she nods, and there might even be smugness at hearing Mary called 'terrible' and 'Bloody Mary'. Serves the bitch right.

"Why yes, she most certainly was. She celebrated the last May Day with us, and was the most magnificent presence. None could come near to her beauty."

[toyboat]

Throwing her head back to groan childishly, Jenny whines and clutches at Anne's skirts. "I miss everything," she complains, as if she was somehow entitled to meet a queen who's been dead for over a hundred years. Living with indulgent pirates can deeply spoil any child, let alone one who was already fairly used to getting whatever she wanted. "I want to see her big collars and ask her questions and everything else!"

[ensorceler]

Anne is quick to glance away as Jenny acts far beyond her station by grabbing at Anne and whining, but it's not out of irritation that she redirects her gaze. There's a lump in her throat, and she needs a second to ready her tone and expression back to one that's pleasant. Missing Elizabeth is hard enough, but having a young girl clutch at her skirts just like Elizabeth once did only makes it worse.

But Anne is nothing else if not a grand actress when she wishes to be, and only needs a moment to have her smiling and sparkling gaze back on the girl, one hand carefully stopping to rest atop her head.

"I have the gowns she left behind in my wardrobe." Really, Anne had been well known for her fashion, and it's clear Elizabeth had taken that streak and run off into the wild yonder with it. What could compete with those collars? "And I would be happy to talk of her grace whenever it pleases you. No lady mother is prouder than I."

[toyboat]

It's true, Jenny is massively outside of her station, although she is also a small child and not one to regard Anne as a proper queen, really, either by learning or by family influence. Being royalty is hardly as important in Jenny's time as it is in Anne's anyway.

She does stop when she feels Anne's hand, and takes her hands back, looking up at her worshipfully. "You've got her dresses?" It's nearly a whisper, more awe for memories of portraits in books, fascinating stories of Gloriana, pride of England. "May I see them one day?"

[ensorceler]

Well, she most certainly would have said no had an adult asked. Her daughter's belongings are not out for display, not unless Elizabeth herself is the one displaying them. But a little girl asking with such obvious adoration easily sways her, not to mention the free invitation to gush about her daughter.

"One day, perhaps. But first we must be friends."

[toyboat]

With a wide smile, Jenny nods and folds her hands in front of herself.

"I should like that very much, Your Majesty."

[ensorceler]

Ah, the girl can be very prim and proper when she tries. Anne can appreciate both that and the spontaneous nature she's also seen, picking up her steps and once more touching her fingertips to the girl's shoulder to guide her back along.

"As should I. You must introduce me to your family in good time, then. I would love to hear stories as much as you."

[toyboat]

"I will!" It's an eager promise, and Jenny has a bit of bounce in her step now. "You can hear about the colonies from my brother and nephew, that would be very new to you. And the islands, where it's warm and pretty."

[ensorceler]

Yes, Anne very much likes to see children acting like children, and especially today is a rather pleasant distraction from her dark thoughts. Happy to try and keep Jenny engaged, Anne keeps her steps slow and graceful.

"What do you have to say about the islands?"

[toyboat]

"Well, I wasn't there for very long," Jenny says slowly, feeling like maybe she isn't the most qualified to speak on the subject, "but everything there is very beautiful, not like England at all. The water is all turquoise, and the sand on the beaches is so white that it's nearly snow. Everything is awfully bright, all the animals and trees and flowers. And it's so warm, like the nicest summer day you can think of, only all the time."

[ensorceler]

Well, Anne thinks England can be very beautiful on it's good days, but it is hard to compare to places like France or tropics. She can only imagine the latter, but the words read from books and rumors are enough to spark it well.

"I have heard there is a room within the palace that holds an entire beach. If the idea of magic does not over worry you, it might be a pleasant venture for you and your family."

[toyboat]

"Oh yes, we go there all the time!" Jenny is enthusiastic about it, beaming. "Father and his friends, James and Miss Anne, in our world, they live in the West Indies, and they love the Summer Room. We usually spend most days there, on the sand."

[ensorceler]

She doesn't know another Anne here, but she wouldn't look twice at the name, anyway. It's common, like Mary or Elizabeth or Catherine. James it not very notable, either, but when in a castle with only so many residents, she will take a care with those she has met before.

"James Kidd?"

[toyboat]

There's a nod, and Jenny takes a little skip forward.

"Yes, that's him. He's Father's closest friend, they know each other from long before Paradisa. They worked together at home."

[ensorceler]

"Worked together? What is their trade?"

She thinks of James Kidd, and the type of job he looks like he actually has, and if that is the kind of job a child should know about. But jests, and appearances, can be deceiving. That is part of the fun, and the danger, of pretending to know anybody.

[toyboat]

"Sailors," she answers breezily, though she knows that it's not really the truth at all. But she still hasn't all the way come to terms with Edward's life, even if it was easy for her to accept that James is a pirate, a real one. "Well, Father is a captain, actually."

[ensorceler]

Sailors... Yes, well. A good enough answer, one that Anne isn't in any mood to presently pry at. She forces her smile a bit wider, like the news excites her, but such roles are obsolete when an ocean isn't nearby.

"A captain! Then he must have the most exciting tales of them all. What is the name of his ship?"

[toyboat]

"His ship is The Jackdaw." Jenny smiles, proud for no real reason, as it's no reflection on her that her father has his own ship. "I steered it for a bit once, before I came here. It was very exciting!"

[ensorceler]

"Even I cannot claim to have ever steered a ship. Do you wish to be a sailor like your father, then?"

Not a very lady-like pursuit, but to each their own.

[toyboat]

There's a shrug, but Jenny keeps beaming. "I haven't really thought of it. I never did before, but it could be fun. And there's lots of adventure to be had as a sailor! But I do think it would be harder as a lady, wouldn't it?"