(1112) Coronation of Winter

[Dusan]

Juno entered the room, her blue eyes scanning her surroundings for familiar faces - or a clear means of escape. She had attended enough events where things fell apart very quickly and it was enough to motivate her into a sense of caution. Too many unfamiliar faces, too crowded, she had never felt that comfortable when the Freehold was gathered in one location since the shootings at the ice rink. Dressed as she was in a white button-down shirt, grey pinstriped jacket and dark grey jeans it made for a change of pace from her usual black black and more black wardrobe combinations.

The Manticoress could smell the tempting food. That would be a priority. The ice sculptures, however, were the first thing that really drew her attention. Making her way over to the display area, she started to study each one, and as an artist she couldn't help but be impressed by the craftsmanship. Ice, from what she had read, was a very unforgiving medium to work with and yet it was so beautiful. She fought back the urge to reach out and touch one of the sculptures - the warmth of her skin would ruin an otherwise perfect surface - and knowing that only a Winter had the means of safely interacting with something so fragile made it worse.

She could feel the warm and energetic tugs of other Spring mantles as they reached out to her own - some were familiar and others were not - and she found herself wanting to touch the ice that much more. Looking up at the delicate sculptures, she knew that fulfilling her own Desire would be a selfish and destructive act in that anyone else who came to see the artwork after she had departed would not see the same thing, or the work as its artist had originally created it.

Lowering her head slightly, because she knew it was something that she would never allow herself out of respect for the other artist, Juno slipped her hands inside the pockets of her jeans and walked away.

Juno's Attire

[Kathritana]

"The city is... crowded. There are so many people," Regina replied. And not enough plants. "It's a bit different from what little I remember from when I was young."

There were times Regina felt too crowded, that there were so many people around her that she couldn't breathe. Those were the times she missed the feeling of her keeper's large flower garden she had attended to. However, even as the people crowded her and made her wish to be alone surrounded only by plants, she craved the contact as well. It was a constant push/pull, leaving Regina not knowing what to do.

[Terri Nutkins]

Entering the Throne Room with her husband and Terri couldn't help but feel a wave of sadness roll over her as she looked around. The end of another Season and still the Freehold seemed far from safe. Old friends had said their goodbyes while new arrivals needed to be acquainted. A failing business venture that left the Beast wondering about the future.

She felt the nudge and let the sadness fade away for another time. Terri smiled up at Rick. "I think I can manage for one night," she replied, adding with a grin at the thought of a mug of hot chocolate, "We'll just have to burn off the calories later."

Outfit

[Smudge]

Smudge entered the Four Seasons looking really uncomfortable. This wasn't his scene but he had to prove Katrin wrong. He had to show her that he could turn over a new leaf and devote himself to a cause.


He'd even got himself a tie. It was bright green and stood in direct contrast to his reddish skin tone. Smudge had even swapped his usual dirty coat for a black tux jacket that was slightly too big for his wiry frame and for some reason, a green and red checkered kilt. If the cold of the Hollow worried him, the Ogre didn't show it.

Smudge looked around, checking faces, nodding to the Wizened hotel manager. He then headed to the bar and got himself an eggnog. At sight of the buffett, the Ogre's stomach rumbled hungrily.

[Khalvin]

Yui frowns hard in thought. "I think you might be confused. Alice is Queen of Spring."His brow furrows and his eyes narrow on the Beast. "I mean, unless you don't expect Katrin to show up. Which is silly." He keeps his tone neutral, but it's hard as the edge of his anxiety slips through.

Either Tally is not interested in the Courts enough to even keep them straight, or she is nervous about something. Either way Yui feels their relationship shift. Like he discovered some curious habit of Tally's and he may not like how she will react next. To cover his uncertainty he suddenly grins and pretends to shrug it all off. "Did you get anything for Christmas? I got myself a new scarf and an Xbox. You play Xbox?"

[Degnar]

Degnar walked in, giving a polite nod at the manager of the hotel as he was guided to the throne room. The Darkling observed the facade of the place, taking a moment to appreciate some of the ice sculptures. If the cool temperatures bothered him, he did not show any signs of it as he walked barefoot around the place.

The Tunnelgrub decided that the Winter Coronation was a special enough occasion to come out of from his hole in the ground; after all he was a member of the Court of Sorrow himself. He walked around nodding at some of the other people as he passed them, but the truth was that he had kept much to himself and didn't really know most of them.

So Degnar decided to go over to the buffet and serve himself some food. Some decent cooking would be nice for a change, and he also entertained the idea of trying the eggnog. He had some time to kill while he waited for his Queen to arrive anyways.

[Kathritana]

Regina finishes off her Irish coffee. "I do like some of the new things. I enjoy the new food, and the new technology is an interesting curiosity. I'm still not sure what I think about all of it."

She could still remember walking around town for the first time since she'd escaped the hedge, and all the cell phones going off, and the TVs everywhere. Children had listened to music that was stored on devices no bigger than her thumb. It had all been overwhelming at first, and she still didn't really know how to use all the extra features on her phone, but she had forced herself to learn the basics at the very least. Eventually she would even learn how to drive, but that was for later.

"Then there's all the different fashions." She smooths her skirt with a hand, a sheepish smile on her face. "I think I'm a little overdressed."