Open [The Sapphire Star] A Party Like No Other

[Stefan]

Stefan drank two glasses of wine and told a couple of histories at the Ethaefal man on the bar. He semed like a good chap. After that, he went to the party, to lighten the mood with his music. As much as he would loved to keep chatting and drinking, he was getting paid, didn't wanted to lose that.

He took his old mandolin again. The strings were old, but he managed to tune it well before coming. Smiling at the women he played a song he knew, and moving his body. He knew what the liked; it was his job to keep them happy, after all.

The young musician quickly played another song, making the sound of the mandolin to go in a slow and romantic tune. He improvsed a song on the spot, singing slowly to think of the lyrics.

In this troubled land, and in these cold days
The love will endure, as it always do
Konti and Drykas, Ethaefal and Humans too
Everyone knows that beautiful truth

Wine and song, celebration in the cold
Here Riverfall enjoys the encounter of love
A wedding is near, and the bride to be
Surrounded by the love you can see

In this troubled land, and in these cold days
The birde to be and his friends will drink
And enjoy, sing, and celebrate this way
The joy and happines that the love will bring

He bowed after the song, and started playing again, now a more animated song.

[Kavala]

Kavala noted the woman who slipped into the party first. Her konti gift came alive as she felt the Kelvics feelings of excitement and insecurity mingled with a ton of courage. The Konti offered the new woman a smile as she dropped off her gift and headed to a relatively quiet corner. Kavala wove her way through the group until she was standing before the table that the Kelvic sat at and offered Juriya a smile. “Hi there. I’m Kavala.” The Konti said, setting down a tray she was carrying. She plucked a wooden nametag off the tray and smoothed the fabric it was covered in down and picked up her quill to dip it into a small pot of ink that was also on the tray.

“I’m making nametags for everyone besides the workers so we know who each of us is. Then I have something else for you right away. It’s a wooden trinket I want to hang on your back. Each one has an inked item on it themed for weddings, so there’s anything and everything on there related. I’ll show you one in a moment, but first… What is your name? I’ll write it here on your tag if you’d be so good as to wear it.” Kavala said, and waited to see if the Kelvic would offer her name. If she did, Kavala would ink her name on her nametag and gently pin it to the front of her lovely dress. Then she reached into the bag and pulled out a coin suspended on another pin. It hung down like a cameo would or another sort of broach, save it was made of wood. She showed it to the Kelvic. “See? This one has a ring on it, for a wedding band. I’ll give you one you can’t see, but then you can ask others for hints by asking a yes or no question like….’Is it made of metal?’ They will answer then you get to guess. One you guess, the tag goes in a bowl up front and a winner is drawn from that bowl. But the first person to guess correctly gets a prize too.” Kavala explained, dropping the ring token back in the bag and drawing another one and pinning it to the kelvic’s back.

“All set? I need to go mingle and get everyone else fixed up. If you need anything, see me or the man at the bar. He’ll give you whatever drink you want free.” Kavala said, smiling and moving on.

When Sybel arrived, Kavala hugged her and smiled. She made Sybel up a name tag and pinned a token on Sybel’s back with a quick explanation of the yes or no question game, and laughed at her observation of Caelum. “Yes, yes I did. I think I should be thanked by every lady everywhere. We don’t get to see him shirtless much. It’s a rare treat, but then again its for a good cause.” She finished her moment with the bride to be by adding a brilliant tiara to the woman’s dark hair that indicated she was indeed the bride to be. A Drykas style veil cascaded off the back of the tiara which was embroidered by knot work from the sapphire clan. Kavala laughed after setting the thing on Kavala’s head and gave Sybel another hug. She retreated then, moving from guest to guest to get them all going.

“Faryon!” Kavala called, writing out the herbalist a name tag and pinning it on her. She also pinned a wooden token to her back and explained the game using someone else’s token… and how to ask the yes or no questions. “I’m glad you could come… get something to eat… drink… Sybel’s over there. I think we are going to have entertainment later too… bards and male dancers for sure.” Kavala said, happy that Faryon could come.

When the stranger with the fiddle came in, Kavala didn’t know her. When the woman claimed she was here to work, Kavala quirked an eyebrow and intercepted her. “I’m Kavala and I'm in charge of hiring the help and we decidedly weren’t hiring any women for this venue. It’s all men because all you ladies should enjoy the party. " Kavala would ask the woman her name and if she gave it, she’d give her a nametag and a token and ask her NOT to work but instead to enjoy herself… that this was a ladies day out.

And when Stephan put in an appearance, Kavala simply nodded to him, raised an eyebrow at his bare feet and legs, laughed slightly and smiled appreciatly when he began to sing. She didn’t try to pin a tag on him. She was afraid the cloak was all he was wearing and none of the ladies at the party thus far had indulged enough to quite enjoy that yet. Soon though. So she put a tip jar out for Stephan and requested a love song immediately in Sybel and Vanator’s name… leaving a gold miza in the jar to seed it.

Kavala then swung by the bar, got a tall glass of iced tea to drink and settled in to greet the rest of the guests.

[Orabelle Deepseeker]

They had Orabelle at drinks. Orabelle strolled in and couldn't hide the fact that she was impressed. The place was remarkable and who ever was holding this extravaganza did a perfect job. She took it all in before observing the people around her. Maybe she should've bought a dress... everyone was looking there best and Orabelle was looking like... Orabelle. She put her hair up in a bun-as usual-and added red henna to it. She added the foundation to her face to hide the small scars she had earned on the ship. Her lips were light pink too. Orabelle looked herself up and down and began to quietly panick. She wore the same blue and red dress everyday! Laviku have mercy on this poorly dressed girl. She felt stupid, this was suppose to be more than a meet up and Orabelle did not put any effort in herself to "look good". After scanning the room, she noticed another woman. In her tanned arms she held a bottle of wine. Wine? Wine! All the booze you ever wanted was already provided, why did she bring a bottle of wine. Oh my, were we suppose to bring presents! Orabelle didn't like the guilt she was feeling. She hoped to make talk with whomever was holding this so she could promise them a gift. Orabelle sat at the bar with her back turned towards the bartender. She was not paying attention to who ever it was right now. She kept looking around to try and figure out who the host was. Once she couldn't figure out she scoffed and turned around to face the bartender."Mother of all beautiful things!" Orabelle palmed her face and laughed. His muscles, his fit body hot her like a beam of light. It burned through her. "White Wine please." She kept her face hidden, only peeking at his body through her fingers. She smiled brightly and giggled a lot. She honestly did not expect a man to be there although, a bunch of women in one room need eye candy."Excuse me love, but do you know who this is all for?"

[Sybel]

She laughed girlishly, mostly from embarrassment. ”You certainly know how to show a girl a good time,” she said with a roll of her eyes, reaching up to probe at the new ornament with the tips of her fingers. She was reasonably certain she’d never worn a tiara before in her entire life. But there was certainly a first time for everything. If it made Kavala happy, it made her happy. Plus, it made her feel sort of special – sophisticated, even, not that she really knew what that meant.

From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Faryon, who was being outfitted for the party, alongside the shy Kelvic who’d caught her eye. Smiling broadly, she whisked to the bar first, to harass Caelum and then order a drink, hopefully at the same time. ”I’ll have a pint of your palest ale and a shot of whiskey, if you don’t mind.” She glanced over at the radiant woman with the caramel skin and grinned.

”Hi there. I’m Sybel and I’m pleased you could make it tonight on this most auspicious of occasions. It is the celebration of shirtless men, everywhere. Oh and my bachelorette party. That too.” She eyed Caelum up for a moment before laughing throatily. ”You’re looking well, dear. So how much did Kavala pay you to bartend without a shirt on?”

Not one to exclude the other woman from the conversation, she moved on. ”You ought to get a nametag from the lovely Konti over there. She is hosting this shindig. I’m just the one humbly reaping the benefits. I have the honor of marrying her brother, Vanator.” Which inspired a silly thought.

”It has just occurred to me that my full name is going to be Sybel of the Tents of Alijah, Descendent of Malech of the Sons of Rapa, First Wife to Vanator Denusk, Ankal of Denusk Pavillion.” She smirked, shaking her head. ”Sounds more like a title than a name, if you ask me. I think I’ll keep going with Sybel.”

[Orabelle Deepseeker]

”Hi there. I’m Sybel and I’m pleased you could make it tonight on this most auspicious of occasions. It is the celebration of shirtless men, everywhere. Oh and my bachelorette party. That too.” With her face still covered she looked across the bar towards a rather tall woman with a long face."I'm Orabelle." She nodded. So this was the soon-to-be bride? What a brave soul. Marriage gave the part-Svefra chills. She had nothing against marriages but they seem to tie you down. At least that's what Orabelle had summed up from previous marriages. Her parents being one... they were so much alike but could never work out. While staring at the bride she remembered what she wanted to do. Get her gift for opening her bachelorette party to anyone. She was still listening and noted that she needs to receive a nametag from the konti. Wait, the konti was the hostess should she get her a gift too? Orabelle grew even more guilty now, one had simply invited her (and others) and the woman infront of her seem to welcome them all. "Where'd ya gain all those titles? By the way congrats on the marriage. I don't know much about the drykas culture but I believe the first wife is a huge thing?" Orabelle asked. She took her hand off her face as she began to notice her makeup was appearing on her long finger which were in desperate need of a pedicure.

[Chandray]

“Nice to meet you. Name’s Chandray Evereene.” Now she understood it was the kind of bachelorette party where the staff was all male. Chandray gave the blonde, Kavala an apologetic smile and said she hadn’t known they only hired men. When she was asked to join the party as a guest instead she hesitated. Her curiosity of the local customs and people was overwhelming…but common sense told her it was best to bow out and try to find work somewhere else. After declining the invitation very politely she went to the coatroom and fetched her rapier. On the way there she took some sweets a waiter offered her. Having seen shirtless men many times at sea, working on decks and in rigs, she felt neither shocked nor interested in all the bare ebony-blue muscle. But she noticed the akalak’s eyes, pale and cold like a winter sky in the dark face. Outside the house she stopped for a few chimes just to listen to the silence, breathe the fresh outdoors air and look out over Riverfall again. Standing there, she enjoyed to be outdoors, despite the winter cold. She thought back on the party. The blue decorations had been great and together with the big panorama windows it had given Chandray an interesting dreamlike feeling of visiting an aquarium, from inside, under the water. A piece of summer, behind the façade of the frozen city. The snow creaked silently under her feet when she started walking, heading to the middle tier of the city.

[Caelum]

"Do you want sugar water in it, love?" Caelum muttered at Kavala when she requested her glass of iced tea. It was mournful eyes he gave her, peering woefully down at the glass; and when she nodded, he added a healthy dose of sweetener to her drink. He slumped off when Orabelle arrived at the bar, and the puppy-dog eyes vanished almost immediately, leaving him smiling with self deprecation as she snickered at him behind her hand. He resigned himself to a great deal of female laughter and selected a narrow wine glass from the array to set on a napkin before her. A bottle of white, previously chilled, was lifted to pour and he twisted it at the end to prevent the escape of any stray drops. "This is for Sybel," Caelum amiably answered her questions and then tipped a wink at Sybel when she arrived at the bar beside the Svefra. He twisted around to fetch the bride a pale ale, tipping the mug to the spout and letting the worst of the foam go in to the spill bucket before he returned. It was just in time to hear the list of titles and Orabelle's reaction to them. "The first wife is a big deal," he provided. "But Sybel's amazingly awkward title comes from a combination of Drykas tradition and her Benshira heritage." He twisted a smile to Sybel and set her mug dog. "Here you go, sweetheart. Congratulations."

[Stefan]

Stefan smiled at Kavala when he saw the tip jar, and nodded. She was beign really generous, but he was going to take the chance. "As you wish, my lady."

Stefan cleared his throat, got closer to Sybel, and began improvising some lyrics, trying to match them with the tune of his mandolin. He managed to pull a slow, romantic tune, moving his body slowly to his own music.

"Winter nights, winter dark and cold
Shivering people, sad and so alone
But let me tell you, tell you what was told
Since the begining, since the days of old

Sybel, the lucky bride, so pretty and glad
Vanator's the one, the one to keep you warm
On the nights of winter, with his heart and his arms
Oh, Sybel, oh Sybel
Vanator will keep you warm

The wedding is coming
You can already hear the bells
Such joy, so let's keep going
Oh love, oh love
Cheva's smiling upon you"


Stefan gave Sybel a bow and smiled, then returned to his place to see the tips, but noticed that the other musician was missing. "That's odd..." he though to himself, and then went looking for her. But didn't give it a second though [i]"That's too bad, the party's just starting..."

[Rosela]

E
Rosela had heard of the Sapphire Star, but had never been herself. She didn't normally spend her free time among women, finding the attentions of men much more gratifying, but she made an exception with Kavala. The woman had good taste, and was one of her best customers, making her opinion invaluable. While she was mildly anxious about attending the wedding itself, a bachelorette party promised an interesting experience at the least. She'd been hooked at the mention of shirtless men.

She moved up the street at as fast a pace as she could manage while still looking casual, white cloak fluttering to reveal a pink cotton-wrapped package held in her left hands. She was running late, but refused to bolt up the street like a hoodlum. Deciding on a party gift had been natural - wedding night lingerie - but making it for the Benshira Sybel had been difficult. She balked at the beautiful cream silk being given to a sand-sucking...but no. She had to put away her feelings for the time being, something she had admittedly grown used to since coming to Riverfall. The issue wasn't worth making a scene over. The marriage was presumably one out of love, so Rosela extended a mental olive branch, and hoped Sybel's wedding night at least went better than her own had.

There were several people already inside by the time she arrived at the Sapphire Star, and someone had just stepped outside. Not recognizing the woman, Rosela offered a polite smile in greeting as she moved quickly through the door. It was far too cold for her tastes, and she was dying to get inside.

As the intimidating Akontak inside took her cloak, goosebumps ran over her arms at the rush of warm air. She'd forgone her sweater dress for the occasion and wore an understated black dress and gold cincher. It wasn't nearly as high fashion as she felt the occasion called for, but it flattered her figure and she didn't want to outdo, or appear to be trying to outdo, the bride-to-be. Pausing as she entered the main room, she shifted her weight to one hip as she looked over the faces. So many unfamiliar... She was happy to see the insufferable Tobias wasn't providing entertainment, and her eyebrows immediately rose at the shirtless Caelum behind the bar. She cheekily waggled her fingers at him before catching sight of Kavala sipping a drink. Smiling, she made her way over.

"I'm not too late to be fashionable, am I?" Leaning in, she gave the Konti a quick peck on the cheek, left hands lifting the pink package. "And where do gifts go? I have something for the dear...bride..." Looking around, she trailed off until she spotted the dark haired woman by the bar.
E

[Sybel]

”Thank you,” she replied to Caelum, grasping the frothing mug and tipping it back in a way very unfitting of a lady. The movement knocked her tiara askew and as she returned the mug to the bar, she reached up with the back of her wrist to wipe some of the foam from her lips. What appeared to be a delicate, womanly Benshira seemed to behave more like a boisterous, drunken old man.

As she turned to speak to Orabelle, she suddenly winced.

’Sybel, the lucky bride, so pretty and glad
Vanator's the one, the one to keep you warm
On the nights of winter, with his heart and his arms
Oh, Sybel, oh Sybel
Vanator will keep you warm’

”You’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered, glaring at the bard. Turning back to the woman at hand, she tried to adopt a tolerant smile. ”I don’t think I’ve heard that one before. I always imagined bards would follow me around, singing of my exploits, but this…” She took another swig of her beer, looking slightly unhinged. ”Well, I don’t really know what to do. Except this.”

She looked desperately at Caelum. ”Don’t forget my shot, dear. I have to drink myself into insensibility before we get to the gift giving part of this party. Otherwise, I won’t be able to properly ingratiate myself.” She tossed it back again, draining a rather sizeable portion of the glass.

Sybel felt eyes on the back of her neck and slowly she turned, to meet the gaze of the Eypharian across the room. Her gut reaction was to glower, but the alcohol allowed her to instead smile, which was rather fortunate, considering. Rosela was a very prominent member of the community, a guest and further, she was Kavala’s friend. The woman grinned, straightening her tiara and giving a wave before turning back to the lovely Ethaefal.

”See? I’m being good.” She put on her biggest, cheesiest smile.