Birthday at the Rathskeller

[Luna Sanguinem]

Come one, come all to the Rathskeller Inn to celebrate Sylista on her Birthday!

Luna Sanguinem and Gideon Convor arrange for music, catering, and prizes for those who attended dressed up for the evening. Gold and black decorations were put up throughout the building, comped rooms made available, and, if one stayed or came back the next morning, Vincent might even make his first public appearance.

If gifts were left for the birthday girl or baby, a table just next to the administration office was set up.



Inside the inn:
- food
- dancing
- make your own mask table
- guestbook

In the garden:
- giant Jenga
- photo booth (with props)
- karaoke at the gazebo

This is a board only event and the winner and their prizes will be announced the following weekend.

[Gideon Convor]

Nicole's Bistro and Pizzeria provided catering for the evening with some negotiation because Viktor decided he needed to have a say in the menu. Thankfully, Nicole was a wonder to work with.

Appetizer
Garden salad with a variety of dressing options and escargot (can you guess who picked that?)


Dinner
Roast beef tenderloin, lemon garlic asparagus, and knotted dinner rolls.


Dessert
Birthday cake pops


Gatito also provided his famous (and delicious) specialty for the party! Each shell is flavored gently with vanilla. Half of them are filled with vanilla-bean buttercream and half are filled with a blueberry buttercream that has been tinted black with activated charcoal, and with blueberry preserves at the center. They are decorated with elegant swashes of black and a bit of gold leafing to fit the theme!

Thank you to Nicole Brock, Gatito, and Viktor Ravenwood for working with me on this.

[Gideon Convor]

Decorating the Rathskeller Inn was an interesting project. Luna and Gideon had wrangled a bunch of the teenagers to help while Betty supervised the lot of them, telling them to move things this way or that. Gideon had asked Betty if she could have arranged for another kind of help and the woman smiled at him and shrugged, answering, "yes, but this was way more fun!"

From the ceilings, they hung lights that looked like stars raining down on the room. The entire space was lit up in the party colours of gold, silver, and black. A playlist Rhys and Dris had set up for the party played throughout the night over the speakers installed during the initial renovations for nights just like this, at first soft music for over dinner and, after, a more fun vibe was set to go with the dance floor set up for the party.



The gardens had been decorated too! The paths through the outdoor portion were lit up with fairy lights, a table for getting away and socializing set up under the large tree across from the gazebo. There was a backdrop set up to project the karaoke music in the structure with chairs set up so people could gather there.

Thank you to Luna, Rhys, and Dris for helping out with this portion.

[Gideon Convor]

Gideon was the first person guests would meet as they arrived, his glee obvious as each person was greeted, a charming smile for each and every one. He advised the bar was offering wine and hi-balls during dinner and then would open for more fun choices once the dinner hour was completed. He encouraged people to eat if they wanted or just enjoy the evening. Anyone who came without a mask on would be ushered to the table so they could make their own (though what they did when he walked away would be completely up to them).

His mask was a little of an inside joke between his sister and him, the jester style was chosen before he found the rest of his outfit making it easy to match it.

"Welcome to The Rathskeller Inn! Please, come in and enjoy yourself!"

[Conner Reid]

Conner was happy to show up and celebrate Sylista's birthday. A masquerade to boot? Yeah, count him in.





In true Conner fashion, he brought a pretty low-key gift for the new mom --- a bottle of local Mad Mage 16-year aged scotch. He left a note with it:

Cheers lass on becoming a new mum and celebrating your birthday.

Conner

If he could track down friends, he was entirely game to hit up the photo booth. And several drinks in he regaled the crowd with a gravel-voiced but no-less enthusiastic karaoke version of Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. He had already lost his suit jacket and unbuttoned the collar of his dress shirt, sleeves rolled up. He worked the crowd through the whole performance, not necessarily with excessive dance moves, but just a lot of grinning and throwing winks.

[Mallory]

Mallory had not been seen out in nearly a month, but had heard news about a recent arrival as well as a birthday celebration! Shortly before the start of the party, three crimson moths fluttered over to the gift table, circled around it, and vanished. In their wake they left a mobile of zodiac signs dangling from the handle of a wicker basket, intricate in design and yet with soft parts wrapped in patterned silk. Laid in the blanket also was a well-balanced short sword, steel of a strange temper that looked less like it had been worked and heated and more like it had been formed from raw magic, too mirror-like to have been forged in the normal manner.

Its name is Medium. It is magically inert except in the hands of an adept, and can channel whatever power you feed into it. For example, I could use it to conjure a blood-summon; perhaps your runes will interact similarly with it? Anyway, happy birthday, and congratulations!
- Mallory

[Tenball]

Tenball stopped by the party shortly after 6pm, dressed for the occasion--more or less--with little collars and blue bowties at the base of each of his eyestalks. The beholder stayed about an hour before he had to leave for work, and made sure to greet the birthday lass and wish her all the best. For a gift, he brought an ice cream maker, scoop, and shakers, so she could make her own homemade ice cream and have milkshakes whenever she wanted.

[Shadowsoul]

The vampire meandered about the decorated establishment, letting everyone else spend time with Sylista. It was her day and he had spent the last one with her so he would make himself scarce. It was Viktor's turn to celebrate her day of birth and the welcoming of their son. He was still available should she need him, but in his opinion, he was just another guest tonight.

He avoided the karaoke machine and those that utilized it; he never much cared for recorded music...or what passed as music by today's standards. What he did linger near were the tiny cakes on sticks. They baffled him. Who would go through the trouble of shrinking down a perfectly good cake to such a small size? A strange waste of magic if he'd ever seen one...

He brought two gifts with him:
One, a small box with a note from his mentor. 'Home is where ever you are'. Within the box was a bangle or sorts that tingled with familiar magic.

The other, a book, from himself to Vincent. Though, it would be more for Viktor and Sylista until the young man could read himself. A book of poems by Lord Byron. The same sort his mother used to read to him so long ago.

Gifts deposited, he returned to avoiding socialization for the most part and was simply present.


Mathian's Mask

Mathian's Clothing

Gift from Giovanni

[Delahada]

There was a rumor that Salvador Delahada had made an appearance at the party, though absolutely not in formal attire. That was probably what made him stand out the most. The Spaniard arrived well before the celebrations even had remotely begun, and long before the crowd got thick enough to stifle him. Dressed in jeans and a plain black t-shirt, the ink on his arms gave him away despite the one bit of the dress code that he did take into consideration. A mask.



Practically ignoring Gideon entirely, Salvador was quick to find Sylista to murmur a private "feliz cumpleaños" in her ear, and something else besides. He gave a polite nod to Mathian, and actually said "hello" to Viktor, but beyond that he did not linger at all. The rumors seemed to remain true that he was allergic to socializing, and forced his companion to hurry in order to keep up with him as he swept onward to the upper levels to disappear into his private suite. He did not come back down to mingle at any other time throughout the evening, and no one in the morning could say that had even seen him leave. The morning maid service, however, reported that he and his companion were no longer on the premises.

At some point, however, Sylista was destined to discover an object sitting around that had not been there before, and was certainly not simply part of the fanciful decor. Not at all gift-wrapped, and lacking any sort of card or note to indicate who it might be from. Somewhere waiting for her to find was a beautiful wooden leaf shaped box, perfect for storing trinkets, with her name engraved on the bottom.

[Mairead Harker]

Maggie chose something black and rather dramatic in comparison to her usual conservative clothes to wear.

Dress, the cape, and mask




Her gift to Sylista was a ring that honored the birthday lady and her children. Maggie had birthstones set in the ring to represent those born to Sylista and those that were children of her heart. Maggie knew of the double twins, Haru, and the newest baby. There was room for more stones on the tree design. The ring was engraved with a quote from Maya Angelou, "I sustain myself with the love of family."



((The ring photo is from the Bradford Exchange))

[Partly Cloudy]

Early in the evening, gatito arrived with Salvador and followed him through the crowd. The young man was not dressed for the occasion, but that was sure to change, given the garment bag and overnight bag he carried with him. He was, however, wearing his mask already: a feline shape made of black leather, detailed in shimmering gold.

Sure enough, shortly after the two men had disappeared up the stairs, gatito returned wearing a fine suit of black, replete with bow tie.




Now minus the Spaniard, he quickly immersed himself in the crowd and worked the room, moving from grouping to grouping to say hello. Here and there, he nicked a little something from the dessert tables, but while he was on the floor, he mostly kept a glass of his favored champagne cocktail in hand.

Some time after Conner’s stunning performance of “Baby, One More Time,” gatito took the microphone to perform Indochine’s “Tes yeux noirs.” He didn’t bother trying to translate any of the lyrics. They sounded better in French.

And after that, he made one more circuit through the crowd, ending with the birthday girl herself, whom he asked to dance with him. He didn’t have the moves that some of their friends did, but he was capable and graceful just the same, and he led Sylista through several turns around the dance floor. At the end of the song, he gathered her close for a big hug and a whispered “Bon anniversaire.”

Though he was much more sociable than his companion, he had his limits, just as all cats do. Not too long after that dance with Sylista, he simply vanished from the crowd and escaped to higher ground, back to the suite he was sharing with the Spaniard. But not before speaking with a member of the staff and requesting dinner be brought up to them.

The next morning, Sylista would find another gift hidden in one of the compartments of that lovely leaf-shaped box: a simple necklace made from hand-polished, teal sea glass, strung on a golden chain.

[Anya de la Rose]

Anya had discovered the invitations in the possession of several elementals after Gideon and Luna's visit to the Tower of Earth. She happily accepted the opportunity to see Syl, her new arrival, and the Inn.

Arriving early in the evening, she brought along a classic chenille baby blanket in a print that had kept her smiling all day:


and a rose themed spa basket for the birthday girl:


She mingled for most of the evening before slipping out to tend to some late night responsibilities.



((Sorry I'm a day late! I broke my fashmates. ))

[BardGallant]

Dris and Rhys arrived only a little later than the rest of the crowd. Naturally they attended the celebration together. The pair of them had of course dressed magnificently for the occasion, with the bard sporting mostly burgundy with accents of black and ivory/white, and some gold.




The bard immediately greeted Gideon with a cheerful clasp of hands (though only one, because he was holding a beautiful bouquet in the other) and European double cheek kiss. He thanked their host him immensely for the invitation and expressed how absolutely thrilled he was to be here. After disengaging from him, Dris tugged his boyfriend through the crowd in immediate search of Sylsita so that they could shower her with their gifts. From the bard, that aforementioned bouquet.



As soon as Sylista had the flowers in her own hands, Dris of course showered her cheeks with kisses. He spent some time flattering her to pieces, though bear in mind that most of it was also genuine. She really did look absolutely lovely, positively glowing. Making room for Rhys to deliver the second half of their combined gift, he made sure to greet Viktor and Mathian in turn, shaking hands and pausing to chit chat. And when his boyfriend was finished getting in his two cents, too, they moved along to search out other friends.

They spent some time equally with everyone they knew. Dris whistled and applauded Conner's performance, and should Sylista wish it he was certain to sing something for her as well. He chatted up Maggie, telling her how lovely she looked and marveling at how grown up, too! And he was sure to try to pull Anya out onto the dance floor for a spin, Conner too if he was willing.

The bard did what he did best and partied the night away. Thankfully he had a very handsome and supportive escort almost always on his arm, keeping him out of trouble and making sure he eventually got back home safe.

[Rhys Germain]

By the time he and Dris reached the Rathskeller Inn on Saturday night, Rhys had already lost his tie to the depths of a pocket in his sport coat. His mask was firmly in place, at least, for all the good it did to obscure his identity.

Like his lover, he had decided to incorporate wine into the black of his ensemble, but he did so in smaller touches: the petal-like edges of a pocket square, the sheen of his waistcoat, the overlay of his mask, and the twinkle of gemstones in the lobes and cartilage of his ears.






Once Dris had greeted Gideon, Rhys stepped forward to shake the man’s hand and thank him for inviting them. Then he shadowed the bard through the crowd, waving to those he recognized while they sought out Sylista and delivered her gifts.

To complement the beautiful bouquet Dris had given her, Rhys presented her with a bottle of cabernet that had been engraved to read Happy Birthday, Sylista. Around the words were engraved a starburst of tiny candles, replete with flames.





In lieu of kisses, Rhys offered Sylista a big hug, then offered Viktor a handshake. He offered the same to Mathian when he found the man in the crowd.

From there, he set out to work the room with Dris. As was his way, he allowed Dris to shine brighter during their interactions. This atmosphere was the bard’s natural element and Rhys adored the way he lit up while socializing. Rhys held his own, though, flattering the ladies and the blokes alike.

Over the course of the evening, he tried to invite Maggie, Anya, and Sylista out onto the dance floor with him. And if he managed to score a dance with Conner or Gatito, too, well, that was all the more reason to wear that foxy grin of his. And when the karaoke machine got cranked up, a little bit of cajoling was all that was necessary to get him to accompany his bard of a boyfriend on a song or two.

At the end of the night, when things began to wind down, he said goodbye to his and Dris’ friends with hugs and handshakes, then led his lover down onto the sands to take a walk in the moonlight before they made their way home.

[Haru Jeong]

Haru arrived quietly, slipping into the room via a shadow near the table, dressed in nothing special, hoodie up over his horns, offering a wave to those he saw. He could not stay long, as a couple emergencies required his attention, however, he left a simple envelope on the table, as well as a stuffed orange tabby cat for his new little brother. Anyone who would pick it up would notice it was heavier than it appeared, and seemed to be enchanted to only be opened by Sylista.

He vanished as quickly as he arrived once the items were delivered, and would spend the night trying to sneak back out to the party.