26 Mar 2023, 21:12
Hail, Knight of the Stay Puft Countenance!
AngelFyre, and her suitors, Await @Simon Kincaid
Saturday morning, 25 March, 2023
After sending off her summons and leaving the Owlery, AngelFyre hurried out to the Grounds where she had asked everyone to meet. She had set this up ahead of time with her friends Colin and Kim and fellow Hufflepuff, André Lebedev. She had also put the word out to the general student population that a strength challenge would be taking place and anyone who wanted to come and try their hand at it was more than welcome. The only hitch she could see to her plan was if one of the half-giants made a showing. With his dhampir strength, she was more than confident that Simon would be the one to remove the sword and thus be crowned victor of the challenge... so long as he was not competing against any half-giants.
It was all make believe, of course. None of the lovely fellows wanted to truly challenge Simon for the distinct honor of taking her to the Ball, though exactly why they did not truly baffled her.... and she told each and every one them that very thing before she, and they, burst out laughing. Well, all except for Kim. He was not one to burst out laughing, but she did catch his lip twitch as he cocked his head, looking at her, not unkindly, in that Kim-like way of his as she amused herself with her own silliness. Reserved as he was, she very much appreciated his help in her endeavor, but she could see he was also intrigued by the challenge itself and would be pleased to give it a try.
In fact, something he had done for Bailey's birthday last year largely sparked this idea into something manageable for her. Kim had had a beautiful and elegantly elaborate setting by the lake, but how he had managed it was to use miniature furniture, she assumed doll house furniture, and then had that all enlarged by a professor or an older student. It was nothing short of genius! As she had been trying to think how to get a sword into a stone that no one but Simon would be able to pull out, she thought back to Kim's idea and her own genius plan started to come together.
She had owled home and told her father what her plan was, omitting all details of Simon's dhampir-ness and strength, and asked him to make her a miniature "Sword in the Stone". He was thrilled to oblige. She had asked that he find a nice, miniature, sturdy metal sword and a shapely rock that he could drill into and place the sword within. What she insisted he use was gorilla glue to secure the sword into the stone. Her thinking was that if it would be strong on a small scale, it would be just as strong on a larger scale. They had not studied this precise thing in Transfiguration yet, but she knew enough to know it would work. And again, barring any half-giants who may wish to participate, she knew her fellow would be victorious. And more importantly, she hoped he would have fun AND take the opportunity to ask her to the Ball. One thing she knew.... Simon, at least, would be thrilled to be her date for the Ball.
As soon as he arrived, the challenge would begin. She was sitting off to the side in a lovely throne that she had also requested be sent along with the sword in the stone. She had donned her lonnnnnnnng, conical hat that had dark blue and gold ribbons dancing from the very tippy tip in the soft breeze. The hat had not been owled to her, though she wished she had thought to do that, too. No, this one she made.... and it looked it. Oh well. It was made of construction paper.... lots of construction paper.... but anyone looking at it would know exactly what it was. Though it did not hold the grandeur of the other period appointments around them, she had decorated it nicely with medieval scenes. Prominent amongst the design was a beautiful Unicorn, and AngelFyre could only think of Catori as she drew her into the scene.
Clearing her throat, she quickly said just a few words. "I want to thank all of you for coming this morning and agreeing to take on the role of eager suitors," and she chuckled before continuing. "Please take note of that word "eager". I need you fellows to really sell this," and as expected, there was good natured laughter coming back at her. "Simon should be here any moment and then we shall begin. It is not exactly the breakfast of champions, but please help yourselves to the boxed chocolate frogs. If any of you are collectors, I hope you get a card you do not already have!"
Smiling at everyone as they were beginning to gather around, she watched with one eye as people, both male and female, looked at the sword and admired her father's handiwork. And as always, she kept an eye out for any sign of him ... her very own knight in shining armor. She hoped by the end of this Simon would be feeling less like her Knight of the Woeful Countenance and more like her happy, playful Knight of the Stay Puft Countenance she, and he, enjoyed so much over their Christmas holiday.
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Mentions and special thanks go out to: @Colin McCoire @Kim Sato @André Lebedev
OOC: Permission was asked and granted to lightly godmod the three kind folks mentioned above. Simon long ago gave me permission to godmod him, but it never hurts to put that out there as a reminder. If any of you three have issue with what has taken place and what will be taking place, please owl me and I will remove you or make any adjustments you feel more comfortable with. Again, THANK YOU for agreeing to do this!
Last edited by AngelFyre McCubbin on 5 May 2023, 18:41, edited 1 time in total.
The magic is real.
29 Mar 2023, 14:12
Hail, Knight of the Stay Puft Countenance!
The arrival to see what @AngelFyre McCubbin is up to
Distractions surrounded him. Whether that was last minute grades that beckoned to be in before the Hogwarts Express departed from Hogsmeade Station, his own indecision, or the restless monster within him that was trying to submerge - Simon Kincaid found himself frustrated quite often these days.
It wasn't that he didn't have help. He had close friends who were Ravenclaws who could help with the confusing coursework, there was AngelFyre who was there for guidance, and there was God to subside the monstrosity inside him.
One such current decision that rendered him indecisive was attempting to figure out how to ask his girlfriend, AngelFyre McCubbin, to the Spring Dance. Simon didn't want to just approach her with a "You, me, ball," simple sort of approach but wanted something more memorable. For the Fall Ball, he had installed the Hogwarts Telecommunications System, also known as the tin can line that ran between his dormitory and AngelFyre's in a gesture to the tin can line she had from her treehouse back at her home in Scotland that she showed him upon his visit.
He had ideas, but he wasn't certain they were good ideas. Still, he knew he was going to have to decide soon; soon they would be leaving on Spring Break and soon she might feel forgotten, but which?
He began to think of it this morning as he did with every morning. He would skip breakfast this morning but that wasn't something out of the ordinary for him. As students began filtering through the corridors on their way to the Great Hall for their morning meal, he took solitude in walking against the flow of traffic, of going a different way. Several passed him and greeted him with a 'good morning' or a smile or wave but he wondered how many would fully do so if they knew what he was? His mind flashed back to the unity meeting where everyone in his group SAID that they didn't mind halfbreeds amongst Hogwarts but they were ready to go at war over some accidentally spilled juice on some pants.
Juice, on some pants. Accident. And yet these same students claimed that they would be perfectly okay studying, eating, learning, growing, and sleeping next to someone with increased strength, rapid quick reflexes, sharp fangs and claws, an unsettling aura, and a thirst for blood? Debatable.
As he was crossing the Courtyard, an owl swooped down quickly in front of him, startling even he with his quick reflexes. It first landed on the ground of the Courtyard but then flittered up onto the edge of the fountain so it was a little higher up. "Woah there, steady," he said - maybe more to himself than the owl. At first he was a little concerned that something may have happened to cause the odd flight path, like a wing injury or something of the sort, but then he saw the note attached. It was trying to get somewhere. As he removed the note, he smiled.
The bird was trying to get somewhere - to him. It fascinated him still how these owls seemed to always know how to find their recipient as if it was some kind of magic (which, it probably was). "Looks like you've found me. A rather impressive successful delivery. You've got to watch coming in at that angle though, don't want to shift your center of balance too quickly," he knew that from broom racing. Still, if anyone was an expert on flight, it wasn't the dhampir talking to the owl but the owl itself. Being a good sport though and appearing as if to take advice, or at least tolerate the attempted life lesson, the owl sort of bowed it's head, almost in a nodding type fashion, and then took off to do.....whatever-it-is-that-owls-do.
Simon unraveled the note and at the first initial line he had a hint of what was going on here. It read:
Sir Simon -
The gauntlet has been thrown down. A challenge for your lady's hand to the Spring Court Ball has been issued and is now taking place on the Grounds....now. By a show of strength, shall you defeat your worthy foes and win her favor?
All her hope rests on you, Sir gallant knight.
Simon glanced up at the (thakfully) cloudy skies and realized he was in the wrong outdoor location of the school if he needed to be at the grounds 'now!' What was AngelFyre planning here? As he folded the note back up and slipped it into the pocket of his cloak, he smiled as he shook his head. Trying to figure that girl out was impossible so he just needed to go to the Grounds and discover what was going on.
He didn't know what she was planning, but he was game. He took the note back out to read several times over once more on his path from the Courtyard, through the castle, and onto the Grounds.
There were several groups of students gathered out there that morning, thankful that the weather was starting to get warmer within the Scottish Highlands. Still, his eyes always directly seemed to go to her and he always found her first.
"Hear ye, now!" he tried his best at whatever someone may sound like back in the medievalish times based off of a limited amount of books he had read and movies he had seen. This could be totally inaccurate and most likely would be, but it would also be fun. "Whatever challenge is to be had for Lady AngelFyre's hand, all should abandon hope, for I, Sir Simon, am here to defeat thee all, and take what is rightfully and lovingly mine."
However, he knew he had already been somewhat defeated, as it seemed AngelFyre McCubbin had beat him when it came to approaching the subject of the Spring Court Ball. - And he was quite okay with that!
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
31 Mar 2023, 15:09
Hail, Knight of the Stay Puft Countenance!
The Suitors Step Up @Simon Kincaid
Saturday morning, 25 March, 2023
She had been momentarily distracted when it looked like the table the chocolate frog boxes were arranged upon might topple over. She had tried to set everything up on as even a plane as was possible, but it was the great outdoors. The beauty in its perfection was that everything was not perfectly even. Luckily there were many good folk with quick reflexes around the table who prevented a minor disaster from taking place. A few well placed stones propped beneath the wobbly leg set everything right, and AngelFyre breathed a sigh of relief. The last thing they needed was to have a bunch of chocolate frogs hopping around the immediate vicinity. There was much more pressing business to be dealt with afterall; that being that she still needed a date to the Ball, and she giggled to herself.
Just as she was about to turn her eyes back to the path to watch for Simon, she heard his voice. That alone, of course, hurried what she was about to do anyway, and her eyes hungrily sought him out. A smile immediately turned up the corners of her mouth as she saw him standing at the back of the crowd. He was a third year, but he was tall for his age. He was not the tallest one present, by any means, but he was the only one there with that gorgeous mane of hair. Her smile grew even wider as the crowd’s joyful chatter began to decrease in decibel levels as his knightly decree rang out that all should abandon hope at winning her hand now that he, Sir Simon, had arrived.
Okay. AngelFyre considered herself to be a girl with a good, solid head on her shoulders and she was definitely that. It was also the case that she had never thought she would be one who would get all oooey-goooey-mushy-mushy and starry-eyed over a boy of all things. A boy! Her friends back home would just not recognize the flibberty-gibbet she could actually dissolve into if they were ever able to bear witness to it. But Simon… well, he had definitely changed all of that. The boy simply made her melt. Still.
He was incredibly handsome to look at, no denying that fact, but it was not his looks that primarily made her giddy. It was his ability and willingness, God love him, to go along with her grand schemes and flights of fancy. Some of the situations she had single-handedly put him into would make a sunburned lobster blush, but he soldiered through each and every one, always playing his part to the hilt, as if it were the most normal thing in the world to be doing.
The boy would just never understand how much her love grew for him in the moments that the crowd began to part for him, much as she imagined the Red Sea parted for Moses, as he walked towards her, nodding towards his competition along the way and declaring proudly, “to defeat thee all, and take what is rightfully and lovingly mine." SWOON! He did make sure he was looking directly into her eyes when saying she was ‘rightly and lovingly his.’ Well, there was no arguing that fact. And then with a final, perfect, Sir Simon flourish, he bent down on one knee before her and nodded before looking down, giving her ample opportunity to see the slow smile beginning to play in his eyes, if not quite yet upon his luscious lips. Looking back up again, he said, “My Lady. Thou bade me come and thy wish is my command.” When he looked up, his smile was definitely wide and sparkling.
It now took every bit of restraint she could muster to quell her desire to bounce-sit in her throne from the excitement. Feeling every bit the starry-eyed goober she actually was in his presence, she nonetheless pursed her lips together to hide her own smile and abruptly cleared her throat. Waving her wrist in a brisk manner exactly twice and sighing deeply as if to give the impression that she was above all of the nonsense in the challenge to come, she commanded, “Yes. Yes. Rise, Sir Simon.”
AngelFyre herself then rose and Simon bowed his head, taking a couple of steps back, joining the other “knights’ gathered at the front of the crowd. “A challenge has been brought for my hand to the Spring Court Ball, and will thus be met on this morn.” Gesturing her hand to her right, the crowd looked to their left to see the life sized sword in the stone. She kept her eyes on Simon. Most of the gathered crowd had already seen it, but it was the first Simon had laid eyes upon it. She was watching him closely and noted with a great deal of glee that his body language upon seeing it spoke volumes. He smiled some more and just did his slow head bob before looking down the line at his competition. When he looked back at her, his smile was mostly gone and he was back in character. Mostly. He did wink at her and then stood with his hands grasped in front of him, legs shoulder length apart, and a very sober look upon his knightly face.
She could not help it. She chuckled slightly and then cleared her throat yet again. “I believe the challenge speaks for itself. He who is the first to release the sword from its stony scabbard shall accompany me to the Spring Court Ball. All suitors have but one chance to approach the stone, but shall have three attempts to dislodge it while there. The challenge shall begin now. Good luck to one and all,” then looking at Simon once again, she mouthed, “and to one in particular,” and she took the opportunity to now wink at him.
As she sat back down, a loyal subject read the first suitor’s name aloud. AngelFyre had looked over the names on the list and was pleased to note that if arranged alphabetically, Simon would be last. Perfect. Suitor number one began his approach, receiving many slaps on his shoulder as he made his way to the stone, grinning as if he had no good sense. Now AngelFyre knew what she looked like in Simon’s presence. Worth it!
He made his three valiant attempts, but the sword did not seem to give. The crowd welcomed him back into the fold, as did AngelFyre, with a sincere round of applause at his effort. He was heard to say, “Wow. That is really in there. I think I’m getting blisters.” She smiled inwardly as she knew then that this was going to go exactly as she had planned.
Next to be called was fellow Hufflepuff, André Lebedev. The crowd encouraged him as they had the first suitor, but André arrived more prepared. Perhaps he had had overheard the comment about blisters, so he put a pair of leather gloves on before beginning his first attempt. That single bit of forethought on André’s part sent a momentary flash of fear down her spine. What if the traction he could get from the gloves was enough to make the difference? She had not thought of that. Come on, Gorilla Glue. Keep holding strong. And thankfully, it did. André put on quite an impressive show, positioning himself quite strategically above the sword, but alas. The sword did not budge.
He, too, was welcomed back into the crowd with applause and any number of encouraging shout outs like “Good job!” and “You almost had it.” Three names later, a trend seemed to be emerging. Suitors were encouraged, approached eagerly as if they just knew they would be the one, and then they were consoled by a crowd eager to soothe the sting of defeat. Mind you, no one seemed too all fired upset at losing the chance to accompany her to the Ball, and she smiled, but then again, everyone knew the score here. Her heart was set on Simon and their own knightly hearts were, no doubt, set upon others as well. It was more than a fair exchange.
“Sir Colin. Approach and try thy hand,” the loyal subject called out. AngelFyre giggled as Colin hopped out of line and then dashed off in the direction the stone, his standard black and green kilt flying behind him. As he started to pass by her, he came to an abrupt, bare-footed halt and did a deep, quick bow before her. He then winked at her before tearing off once again, barking out his signature “OOOOwWOoO” all the way over to the stone.
When he reached it, he circled it twice in a clockwise direction and then one time in a counter-clockwise direction, examining it, yes, but also occasionally bringing his hand up to an ear every once in a while and thwacking it from behind as if in deep thought. Finally he got himself in position and placed both his hands on the hilt. He let out a long, strangled YAWP on his first attempt as he pulled mightily, but to no avail. He then repositioned himself a little to the side on the second attempt, and AngelFyre could see the veins bulging in his throat and near his temples, but no success was to be had. Studying it once more, he brought his hands together and rubbed them gleefully as if he had unlocked the secret to his ultimate success, muttering to himself in Scottish Gaelic.
This time he stood before the stone, grabbed the hilt, and squarely planted one foot to ground and the other on the stone itself, midway between the ground and the sword. When he pulled, he was trying to pull it towards him instead of simply up and out. It was a unique approach, and certainly worth a shot as everything else he and the others before him had tried had failed. AngelFyre, once again, had a moment’s worry that instead of being released, the sword might just break, but it held true.
When he finally had to concede defeat, he did so by kicking the stone and cursing it. AngelFyre flinched as she worried about his bare foot, but Colin ran everywhere barefooted so she was not entirely surprised when he showed no signs of pain at having kicked it. As he passed by her this time, he said in a voice more quiet than normal. “Och, Lass! Dinna fash. I will be taking Clairrrrrrr to the Ball, but I had to try you ken.” And then more loudly, he uttered back in the direction of the stone, “A plague upon thee!” and everyone laughed, including Colin.
More names were called and the pattern of defeat continued. AngelFyre now watched as Sir Kim stepped confidently from the far end of the line (the point with the least number of people around him) with a bit more of a regal air than most of the other suitors carried. It was simply his normal bearing, but it stood out to her in this particular mini drama. He turned and bowed his head just slightly when walking past her, and AngelFyre saw his lip twitch as he did so. She was half expecting to see him flash a peace sign like Simon often did as well, but he chose not to. Knightly decorum and all that.
Kim, like Colin, circled the stone, but did so only once. Like André, he, too, put on a pair of leather gloves, and then positioned himself before starting his first attempt. His eyes were closed and as he strained, his head was moving back in the direction of his shoulder blades, appearing to elongate his neck. Thick ropes of muscle emerged on each side and disappeared the moment he disengaged his grip on the hilt, exhaling loudly. AngelFyre marveled not so much at the extraordinary effort he had expended, but that it was all done in silence. Remarkable.
His second attempt was much like the first, but his third attempt differed in that when he first gripped the sword, his shoulders and upper body began to swivel in a circular motion as he applied an unknown quantity of torque to the blade. This was a completely novel approach and once again, she worried that this just might be the fly in the ointment that was her master plan. Kim was of a slight build, but he was clearly strong. Twisting the sword might just loosen the glue within and release it, maybe not for Kim, but possibly for the few more suitors to follow before Simon got his chance.
AngelFyre held her breath and moved forward in her seat, her eyes glued to Kim (pun definitely intended). After about 30 seconds or so, he stopped all twisting and then tried one more mighty yank, but to no avail. The sword remained solidly entombed within the stone, and AngelFyre breathed a sigh of relief, sitting back primly on her throne. “Challenge well met, Sir Kim.” she stated. He nodded and quickly flashed his peace sign at her, his lip twitching again as he made his way back to the end of the line, farthest away from the stone and everyone else.
AngelFyre just chuckled and turned her attention back to the challenge. Names were called. Attempts were made. And finally… finally… she heard magic ringing in her ears as his name was thundered out loud, just like the clarion call it was to end all doubts and further challenges.
“Sir Simon. Approach and try thy hand at… at… winning thy Lady’s hand… errrrmm… to the Ball that is!” AngelFyre looked over to the loyal subject and laughed. “Thank you for the clarification.”
The crowd had now gone completely silent and all eyes were upon Simon. Her own were smiling upon him and she was praying that bottled gorilla would not somehow turn out to be stronger than unleashed dhampir.
Come on, handsome. Show them all what you can do.
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Mentions and special thanks go out to: @Colin McCoire @Kim Sato @André Lebedev
As always, let me know if you object to the portrayals.
The magic is real.
10 Apr 2023, 17:40
Hail, Knight of the Stay Puft Countenance!
Simon smiled that wide, broad smile of his. Surely she wasn't going to make some challenge up that he could not conquer. Although....some of his competitors that had already tried to remove the sword from the stone weren't exactly weaklings and what if he really couldn't? No, maybe they were just acting.Win thy lady @AngelFyre McCubbin's hand
"Alas, I shall remove the sword from said stone and win thy lady's love and affection - er, I mean, hand to the ball." He made his way through the crowd until he got to it. It looked like a real sword and it looked like a real stone. All Simon had to do was channel his inner King Arthur as well as his dhampir strength and remove it.
Would he have the divine right to be the lady's date to the dance?
Simon took one hand and placed it on the handle of the sword and pulled up - a test of sorts. He was trying to see if in fact it was real and well, what he could gather was that it was stuck in there pretty good. A one handed quick yet forceful tug did absolutely nothing to remove the sword from the stone. No, the others hadn't been acting.
He took a glance over to AngelFyre and gave her a wink. He had this. Honestly, even if he wasn't going to be able to do so by sheer strength, then he was going to have to get out his wand and attempt magic. There was absolutely no way that he would leave from this spot until the sword was out of the stone.
That glance was turned into a gaze as he momentarily paused. He wanted to take in this moment - this moment that this girl had orchestrated for him, for them. It was these sort of crazy moments that he would look back on so fondly when thinking of his days at Hogwarts or the early years with AngelFyre McCubbin.
"Abandon your grasp, solid stone, and prepare to loosen your grasp, for my love for thy lady holds no boundary," and with both hands he took hold of the sword, haltered it forward, back toward him, and finally up.
It wanted to hold fast, but he was stronger, and he was able to raise the sword into the air, waving it victoriously as the sun reflected off the shiny metal - creating a sort of celebratory light show. It was brief though, because he dropped that sword on the ground and approached thy lady, bringing her into his arms and spinning her in a circle before gently resting her back down and brought her into a kiss.
Be kind to one another. (*iNPC is Miles Thatcher)
17 Apr 2023, 21:20
Hail, Knight of the Stay Puft Countenance!
There Can Be Only One @Simon Kincaid
Saturday morning, 25 March, 2023
Not going to lie. Her heart was pounding so hard and so fast within her chest that it had developed into almost a state of even stillness. There were simply no perceptible gaps between the beats so it was all seemingly smoothed out. No one looking at her, and of course, no one was because all eyes were glued to her gallant knight, would ever have suspected the maelstrom that was raging within her.
Her smile could not be tamped down as Simon stepped from the line of challengers and decreed that he would "...win thy lady's love and affection - er, I mean, hand to the ball." Any true member of the royal court, one of the noblessely obliged, would be stately in her manner and show no favoritism, but even if she had been born to the purple, AngelFyre suspected that she would not ever have been able to remain objective and neutral when it came to Simon. She was, indeed, a girl possessed of a strong will, but it could so easily crumble in his presence at times, much as she knew the stone's hold on the sword was about to crumble beneath his mighty grasp.
As he walked by her, smiling his devastatingly rakish smile and looking ridiculously confident while sounding even moreso, she quickly, too quickly, sat forward on the throne, causing her tall, conical hat to tip off to the side. Scrambling in a mad rush to straighten it so she could watch his every movement, she was perhaps even too engrossed in the moment to do her characteristic bounce sit.
Like Colin and Kim before him, Simon studied the stone, but unlike them, he gave it a tug as a test. AngelFyre smiled inwardly, but hoped he remembered that there were only three attempts allowed at trying to release it, and that little test was going to have to count as one.
And then.
And then he looked over at her and winked and she breathed a silent sigh of relief. He had this. He knew he did and was letting her know all would be well. She could feel the relief wash over her like the sun's rays suddenly peeking from behind some dark clouds. And then instead of turning to concentrate on the sword, he held their gaze. They were surrounded by a throng of people but in that instant they all disappeared. He was a good distance from her, but it did not matter. He could be a universe away from her and she would know what it was like to be locked in that gaze with him. She knew the map of his face so well... every contour...every dimple... but it was his eyes she knew best. She had spent hours and hours swimming in their depths and navigating the meaning of time while there with him. There was not a fleck of honeyed cinnamon or the merest speck of dark chocolate that had escaped her notice within his eyes, so even from afar, she was right. there. with. him.
Taking it all in and having fun along the way. It is what they did. It is part of what made life so interesting with Simon. When the gaze inevitably had to give way to reality, he turned to the sword and addressed the stone with a sort of 'your number is up, pal - the girl is mine' moment, but in medieval-speak. She was literally vibrating just listening to him and watching him. He grasped the hilt and the crowd went silent as it had with all prior suitors.
This time would be different, however. Simon would amaze one and all with his show of strength. The sight of his knightly stance standing over the stone with sword blade glistening in the sun above his head had the crowd erupting in loud and boisterous cheers. Gone were the consolations. Clapping and cheering abounded as he dropped the sword, blade tip slicing into an earthly sheath this time, and approached AngelFyre who was now standing and also cheering and clapping for him as well. Her demonstrations of pride were cut short as he grabbed her and began to spin her around before solidifying the moment in a kiss. She was laughing in the middle of it as her ridiculously tall, conical hat flew right off her head at the initiation of his spin.
When their lips parted, she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Turning to whisper in his ear, she stated with a good deal of teasing in her voice, "Whew! I was beginning to think I might never have a proper escort to the Spring Court Ball," and she laughed merrily. "You are stuck with me now, Sir Simon, and I hasten to add this, but this show of strength on your part has cemented a bond between us, gorilla glue notwithstanding, and this date is not one that even you, with your incredible dhampir strength, are going to be able to break," and with her eyes twinkling, she chastely kissed him on one cheek and then the other before stepping away from him... which was never an easy thing to do.
As she stepped back to the throne, Simon tickled quite a few in the crowd when he reached down and scooped up her conical hat only to bend down on one knee in a most exaggerated fashion before offering it to her. AngelFyre smiled at him and regally nodded to him, placing a hand on his shoulder to keep in place for a few moments more. Then turning her focus from him, she began addressing the crowd, "A feat of strength challenge was held, and well met, by many a strong knight on this morn, but as one fabulous movie saying goes, 'There can be only one.' We have a victor in the feat of strength challenge and so it is now time to reward him for his efforts." She gently tapped his shoulder once, signaling him to rise.
"Sir Simon, your substantial reward for your show of strength is... well... it is me," and she spoke those words loudly and clearly with no sign of the modesty she was truly feeling inside. Beneath her breath in a tone only he could hear, however, she whispered to him," "You lucky dog," and she grinned at him. Then addressing the crowd and Simon once more, she continued, "As a show of my favor and fidelity at having you as my escort, I bestow upon thee the gold and blue ribbons from my hat," and she deftly removed them from the cone's tip and encircled them around his ever increasing upper arm size.
Leaning over towards him, she stopped midway and addressed the crowd one final time. "Any who are squeamish at the sight of PDAs should avert their eyes now. Fair warning! And oh! Thank you all for coming and being such great sports and remember your chocolate frogs!" AngelFyre then happily turned her focus back to her magnetic north and gave him a long, delicious kiss. The crowd at this point had begun to break up and wander off, but there were still a few who emitted a good number of "Ooohs!" and "Ahhhs!" along with the predictable, "Get a room!", but everything was done in fun and there were claps and cheers at the end of it all.
As the two stayed back to clear everything up to the pristine condition it had been in before she had set the whole thing up, talk inevitably turned to what would they wear. Normally this conversation amounted to little more than a color scheme coordination effort, but AngelFyre had been toying with the idea of foregoing a gown and donning armor herself, attending as Joan of Arc. "That Jousting Tournament sounds like so much fun. How would you feel about your date showing up in armor? Would it bother you? Think about it and let me know. One kiss for yes. Two kisses for maybe. And three kisses for no. There is no hurry. " Then she could not help herself and added, "And if I do not respond immediately, feel free to keep leaving me the message again and again and....," and she laughed happily after raising her eyebrows at him a number of times.
The magic is real.