The Far Less Creepy and Far From Abandoned Mansion in the Woods; Friday Afternoon/Evening [06/27].

[chef_chocobro]

When the guests arrived, they would, of course, be instructed to find their way to the garden conservatory; the subtle decorations both inside the mansion and through the exterior gardens would guide most people to there, and, barring that, the steward was naturally on hand to provide and escort. There, they would find a scene that seemed almost a stark contrast to the dark and brooding decor of a necromancer, a place filled with light and life, with plants both decorative and functional, colorful and aromatic and useful, and, of course, no lack of the expected gothic or Victorian touches here and there. Somewhere, some cleverly situated water fixture babbled steadily along with the light, inobtrusive music that set the atmosphere: something elevated just slightly above casual, that slight touch of pretentiousness that was gentle in its demands for propriety and decorum and class. Comfortable chaises and chairs were arranged here and there sociably, a gathering a wrought-iron bistro tables and chairs as well, but the set-up seemed to suggest the kind of floating interactions of butterflies among flowers, drifting from one to the next with an airy regard.

And, of course, the spread of food was exceptional, lighter fair, but plenty of it, things that could be enjoyed while fluttering about with the other guests in one hand, while the other held a glass of fine wine or sparkling water garnished with fresh fruits or even a robust coffee or a floral cup of tea. Small sandwiches and crostini, bruschetta and other variations, but there were also empanadas with a chimichurri sauce, paella with scallops, pomegranate pork kebabs...

Spring rolls, summer rolls, smoked salmon cucumber rolls...

And of course, desserts, which would include alfajores dulce de leche, coffee truffles, fruit crostini, and key lime mini pies.

Needless to say, no one should be wanting for food. Just be careful not to fill up on treats too much if you plan to stay on later; there was still plenty of dancing to be had, once the party moved itself to the awaiting ballroom.

[[ naturally, ocd incoming ocd is up! Come and celebrate with us! ]]

Comments

Re: Arrive & Mingle - 06/27.

[deathsmajesty]

Oh, darling, you should hear some of the stories how he'd accomplished such a feat. Romance and violence.

"And here I wasn't sure I'd get you to come back here after you finally escaped the clutches of my class," Liliana said with a warm laugh. "I'm so glad you did. Oh, and let me introduce you to my fiancé. Ignis, love, this is Luma Zarrin, one of the students from my class with excellent point. Luma, this is Ignis Scientia, who was very appreciative to know there was at least one person in class who could appreciate his hard work no matter what we were discussing that day."

Re: Arrive & Mingle - 06/27.

[chef_chocobro]

To that, Ignis had to chuckle slightly, nodding his head toward Luma in greeting. "Yes," he agreed, "it is rather unfortunate that the nature of the class does tend to put some people off their appetites, but usually that meant I managed to still enjoy the leftovers. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Zarrin. Thank you so much for joining us today."

Re: Arrive & Mingle - 06/27.

[even_bigger_teeth]

"Oh!" Despite herself, when she looked to Ignis to finally meet him, she was a little taken aback by his face. Out of surprise more than anything; after all, half of her mother's entire body was covered in living red polyps, so his scarring and those vacant eyes weren't anything she was repulsed by; far from it, she was actually quite fascinated. It was surprise more than anything; she expected sweeping romance, and the sort of hero that went along with those stories, but this was far more interesting.

Even she knew that just blurting out some eager question about what had happened was rude, though, and so she smiled (no teeth, although she wondered with those eyes if he could even see) and bobbed her head in a sort of bow-curtsy gesture.

"Of course. Thank you so much for having me. It's such a nice thing to be able to visit without having to worry about lessons, because you do have such a lovely home. It reminds me..." She trailed off slightly, wishing she hadn't set food down that conversation path, but she'd already started, so she figured she'd best finish it up, "...of the..." Oh, drat. "...house I grew up in."

There. That'll do. Even if she couldn't quite keep the edge of bitterness out of it even if she tried.

Re: Arrive & Mingle - 06/27.

[deathsmajesty]

Liliana, who could see perfectly well, watched the expressions flit over Luma's face, her eyebrow slightly raised as she waited to discover how Luma was going to react. Though, by the time the girl got through the brief stumble about her house, it was gone as if it had never been.

"I have had many places where I've lived, scattered all across the planes," Liliana said. "But few of them have been home in quite the same way as people mean when they say it. Mansions, grand estates, a tower or two, dwellings of all sorts. But rarely a home." She paused. Considered. "Perhaps it's because I know the hurt of losing one and hardly wished to invite more."

An idle comment, of course.

"I am glad you enjoy ours. I don't know if you have the penchant for gardening that Eleanor does, but the woods around here are a decent size, should you ever wish to go running through them." And then sighed, sounding oh-so-put-upon. "Though I can't promise that if Ignis gets wind of you loping about, that he won't insist you come inside and eat something."