News:

- Chubby Dwarves are low fat.
- Pippen accused of getting drunk and feeling Merry
- Mexican Hobbit corrupted by One Ring. Known as Smiegel

Main Menu

04.19.2127 - White Rascal

Started by Griznuq, March 23, 2008, 10:52:40 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 5 Guests are viewing this topic.

Griznuq

"Sure was!" he said excitedly, though he'd no real basis for comparrison.

The fact of the matter was that loud noises and crowds of people put Harrison on edge a bit, and the sight of Fresenius made his blood run hot.

Still though, the elation on Leslie's face was infectious, and made him not want to spoil it for her.

"I hope it didn't scare Clive too much, he doesn't like loud noises."
=]V[=

Dray

Post change forthcoming, I made an err, Leslie hasn't been introduced yet to Clive.

Dray

"Clive? Who's that? Another boy from the orphanage?" asked Leslie innocently.

Griznuq

"Oh, Clive is a friend of mine... Not a boy, perse. he's a squirrel," Harrison explained matter-of-factly.
=]V[=

Dray

The tenth-of-a-tick confusion on the seven-year old girl's face was followed by such an explosive burst of glee that Harrison took a step back.

"YOU HAVE A PET SQUIRREL!!!?!!!"

Griznuq

Harrison's eyes went wide, his senses suddenly overloaded by the unexpected outburst.

"Uh," he stuttered a bit while he pushed his glasses back up his nose. "No, he's not really a pet so much as a friend... But, yes. I expected him back already."
=]V[=

Dray

Leslie appeared to be a bit confused about the difference and her next question unexpectedly complicated the conversation.

"Expected him back? Expected him back from where?" she asked.

Griznuq

Why are younger people always so full of questions? Harrison said to himself, repeating the phrase his father always asked his mother in irratation.

"He's just out and about doing whatever it is that squirrels do," he lied. Leslie doesn't need to know anything about Emma.

"So uh," Harrison changed the subject. "Do you live in the city?"
=]V[=

Dray

"I live with my Mommy and Daddy down at the Riverfront, they own the Get There for Here Inn[/i]. This time of year I am usually helping out with..."

Harrison half-listened to the blonde little moppet as he looked around the kitchen which appeared to be organized chaos. Cooks and their assistants made the final touches to the first course as they prepared dozens of finger-food trays. Deliver men lined kegs of wine and ale along a wall. Three of the older girls who had worked alongside Harrison this the past week stirred massive cauldrons of soup. Serving men and women were everywhere trying to get ready.

"Crazy isn't it?" Leslie asked him, getting his attention back.

"Sure is" Harrison answered and turned back to his little friend. "Millis around? She said I would be helping serve the finger food."

Leslie's eyes lit up as she remembered her responsibility. "OOPS! Come on!" she said and grabbed his hand, pulling him through the myriad of people throughout the kitchen, she lead him to the opposite corner where a corridor led to what she pointed out was the changing rooms.

"Boys are the final door on the right, women to the left. There are rows and rows of outfits of different sizes, so you should be able to fit." she said with a smile.

"Speaking of which," Millis said right behind them. Harrison turned and gave his old-lady friend a big smile. Although she was addressing Leslie, she gave him a wink.

"...I asked your father if you could be one of our servers tonight." Leslie lit up even brighter than when she had learned of the squirrel. Harrison winced as he expected an explosive shrill, but it thankfully was contained.

"He of course said yes." Millis continued. "Your very mature Leslie, for someone so adorably tiny. I want you to carry a small silver tray that will be more decorative then an actual serving tray, but the guests will absolutely love you."

She put one hand on each of their shoulders and spun the two children towards the corridor and walked them down it.

She turned to Harrison. "As soon as your dressed, take one of the finger-food trays and balance it on your shoulder like the others. Simply walk around and let people take what they like off the tray, you need not collect any coin or do anything else but let people eat. Only talk of you are addressed and try to keep any conversation short so you can attend other guests."

"Leslie, I got a couple of special things for your outfit, let's get started," she said and while entering the girls room, pointed Harrison to the boys room.


(Another post forthcoming)

Dray

Getting dressed was fairly easy, as there wasn't many men left in the changing room, and he also quickly found a waiter's outfit his size. It consisted of black slacks, a white shirt of heavy silk, and a black vest of cloth with leather straps. He had to admit that it was a pretty smart looking outfit for a mere serving boy.

Back in the kitchen, the balancing of the tray wasn't as hard as he had expected. He was allowed a white cloth which to put over his shoulder to lay the tray upon. The tray only had an assortment of cheese and crackers and therefore wasn't very heavy.

The array of corridors he had to pass through almost left him dizzy. Makeshift signs with painted arrows guided him from one turn to another. As he was making his way in, other servers were making their way back with empty trays. Harrison surmised that the gala must truly be underway.

After a final turn he squinted against the light coming through the entry way into the Grande Audience Hall.

This would be the first time he would see it, for children of poverty, let alone orphans, didn't come to the Church of Kaine.

(OOC: Now drafting the first floor map of the church as it is in both this thread and the upcoming 'Interview at the Church". I beg thee to be patient, I shall return.)

Dray

(OOC: Still working on this next post. The description of the Grande Audience Hall of Kaine is very important to me, and after I rewrite it about half a dozen times I may send it through the Johan Editing Machine to perfect it. That and the drama at the end of the thread needs to be made in complete ironic eloquence so my storyline isn't lost in a grammatical nightmare.)

STAY TUNED!

Dray

At the far western end of the incredible magnificence that was the Grande Audience Hall of Kaine, Harrison stood under a curved archway of white marble. The arch carved into the likeness of two unrealistically proportioned warriors butting helmets above him.

As the ten-year old boy gazed at the Hall and the beginning of the Grande Ball within it, for a moment he forgot who he was and what he was supposed to do.

What got his immediate attention first was the magnificent wall to his left, what he had heard was known as Kaine's Gate. The massive double doors, made of the fireproof pines of the Outland forests and banded with gold and platinum, were open and away from their arched marble housing. This door structure though, was the only thing he couldn't see thru. For the entire wall above and around it, which curved in towards the Hall, was made of hundreds of large panes of glass held together by a metal frame grid.

From the polished marble-tiled mosaic floor to the crisscrossing arched trusses in the ceiling seven stories above, he could see the tower of Kaine's Spire through the glass, the stars winking in the night sky beyond. He could also see through the glass the east and west wing of the Church which extended to the left and right of the Spire. Within the courtyard that the wings framed, the commoners of the city were milling about after the parade. Each of them watching and some of them applauding the well-dressed citizens coming into the Grande Hall.

Harrison knew that the Spire was even taller than the mighty Church he stood within, but from this vantage-point he could swear he could see its point high above. (OOC: Chuch is 300 feet tall and 250' square, spire is 400 feet tall)

The mosaic pattern of the marble-tiled floor formed the familiar symbol of Kaine, a sword and shield propped on a knapsack. The floor and room itself was so vast that he thought he could likely fit his parents old house within about eight times. Leslie had once told Harrison that the church held Mass here, and he had heard it had taken quite an effort removing all of the stone pus from the Hall.

Somehow though, the floor itself seemed small and insignificant due to the amount of space above. Seven  floors had open ceilings above, their edges matching the perimeter of the main floor he stood upon. Each of these balconies hovered an incredible twenty feet above the other, and each was made of huge timbers of the ancient Outlands forest. The edge of each supported by a myriad of intricately carved marble columns, shaped to appear as if blooming climbing vines wrapped around them. These white and gold-leafed "ivy" carvings left the vertical columns to rejoin the horizontal railings of the balconies they supported. The effect of which was beautiful in its simplistic design. As Harrison continued to gawk, he saw people walk away from these balcony rails and disappear beyond his view, leading him to believe that there was a great deal of floor space on them.

Creating a golden glow of light throughout the room was dozens of ornate crystal chandelier's, hung by silver chains and holding gold and silver lanterns of the finest artistry. Dozens were mounted from the ceiling at many different elevations throughout the southern end of the chamber, giving each and every balcony and the main floor light.

To his right and directly opposite the doors of Kaine's Gate was an incredible structure, a white marble platform extended from the third floor balcony, supported by timbers in the second floor ceiling structure. The marble climbing vines of the balcony extending underneath and wrapping around the platform as if they had grown there decades ago.

Beyond the platform, at its edge where it joined the balcony, Harrison could see a soldier standing at attention beside it. He was wearing incredible looking full-plate mail armor of an unusual dark color, as if the metal was actually colored black before it was inlaid and etched with an intricate gold pattern all over it. Along with the golden-wing forearm guards and horned helm, the entire suit made for an intimidating sight indeed. He supposed that these might be some special church guard and that perhaps that was the balcony Fresenius may speak on later.

'Whoop-de-doo', he thought facetiously.

Not an element of marble or wood within the Hall was left plain and smooth. From the crisscrossing arched trusses holding up the curved ceiling high above their heads, to the very floor itself, everything was intricately carved or painted with the theme of Scripture. Angels fought demons of wind and lightning in the paintings amongst the trusses above. Warriors and demons were locked in battle in sewn tapestries that hung on the back walls. Statues depicted the Kaine laying his knapsack on his claimed land, and a myriad of shields, swords and busts of Kaine were everywhere.

Despite all this, the colors of the Hall, black and white marble with gold inlay, were muted and Harrison's attention may have been reclaimed if it wasn't for the myriad of colors of all the attendees and the decorations for Ascension Day within.

Around the hundreds of men and women dressed in their finest suits and dresses of every color, hung streamers of flowers and feathers, ribbons of gossamer white and blue silk and fine soap bubbles that floated throughout the air.

As the party-goers walked about the room talking to one another, Harrison finally began to move about the room, although his feet were more interested in getting his eyes to new things to look at more than performing the task assigned. Luckily, the tray stayed on his shoulder and one guest after another took food off of it as he walked absently under them.

He noticed that many of them weren't young, in fact a good deal of the people were at least a few years older than the age of mandatory service soldiers. Many of them spoke of laborers, guilds and other business in third person, helping him ascertain who really was here at the Ball. The wealthy. No sooner did Harrison realize this when he noted altar boy with a large silver bowl. As the boy walked quietly beside and amongst the guests, he collected generous donations within the bowl which clinked with every silver, gold and platinum coin drop.

Griznuq

:...he had heard it had taken quite an effort removing all of the stone pus from the Hall." Stone pus? ew.

response coming.
=]V[=

Dray

Pew or pews in this case, sorry about that. My spelling was way off. Reply still forthcoming?

Griznuq

Harrison looked about taking it all in, and found himself feeling a bit closed in. Everything was bussling around him. Activity ALL over. Even the things most people would call intricate, Harrison would call unnecessarily complicated.

What was the point of building walls out of glass? What if it broke? They couldn't just pop a new brick in there, they'd have to replace the whole pane! Not only that, but someone could get hurt! What if someone tripped into the glass? Harrison shuddered to think.

This whole festival was starting to weigh on him. He longed for his tree out in the park, or the woods, or even his dorm. He wished something around this place were at least familiar, if not calm.

He looked about desperately searching for something that didn't send his senses into overload. Much to his relief, there was a stack of books next to a small wooden bench. It seemed out of the path of traffic.

He wasn't sure he'd be able to read and retain anything with all this distraction around him, but even if he could just feel the cover of the book in his hand, and smell the pages... He could sit and admire the penmenship of the writer.
=]V[=