The Birthday party was just getting started, there was a large cake with ribbons leading off of it the ribbons are draped over furniture and around chairs and making an obstacle course to get to the cake. The birthday girl was there of course with a smile on her lips as she greeted those who came. "Welcome! Welcome." she smiles brightly to the princes "Thank you for attending my birthday feast."

There were food, Bacon candy, beef slices, roasted pheasant, and Duck.


    The most average-looking prince ever, Aurelian enters the dining hall in his customary Valardin-style garb. Offering a respectful nod to Charlaine he says in his typical calm, polite tone, "Congratulations My Lady, may today serve to keep your spirits up for the coming year till your next."


Tall, mocha skinned, with a bit of lankiness to his frame, Aiden was the spitting image of a more famous Grayson, but it was Aiden this day that appears to the birthday celebration of Lady Charlaine Blanchard. He has a small gift box in his hand and is otherwise flanked by Grayson guards. Aiden spots the lady of the hour and waits his turn after Aurelian has approached her, to do the same, coming up alongside both to smile politely, "Lady Charlaine, a good and happy birthday to you."

Aodhan entered the Manor while being escorted by a servant. He smiled brightly once he saw Charlaine. The Crovane wore a bear fur cloak, easily enveloping him once past his shoulders. He wore dark leathers underneath. He approached the Lady and bowed in her presence "Lady Charlaine, happy birthday." he smiled.

Charlaine smiles as she stood near the cake and ribbon set up as she greets her guests, she smiles softly as she looks to Aurelian then over to Aiden. "Prince Aiden!" she smiles to the Ainsley look-alike. "Thank you so much for honoring me with your presence apparently my little game set up wont be so fun with so few people but I at least have a game!" she grins as she takes his box and she puts it on the table "I shall open it up later after people leave, unless you perfer me to open it now?" she asks before she looks over to Aodhan "welcome! Thank you for attending!" she greets warmly


    Aurelian nods to Charlaine and asks, "What horrors will you have me endure for your happiness My Lady?" in a calm, conversational tone. Though he does give one of his uncommonly scene soft smiles as he says it.


Aiden dips his head to Charlaine, allowing her to pluck out the box from his hands with a small lift of his shoulders, "Later. I didn't know... what you'd like." He watches where it's placed and looks a little out of place once the greetings have been made, a nod to Aurelian and Aodhan politely.

Aodhan smiled to Charlaine "Anytime." he responded in an equally warm manner to Charlaine. He would present to her a small, yet nicely wrapped box. He presents it to her with a warm smile and a bow of his head. "I hope it's nice, I didn't know what you would like." he chuckled faintly, before he looks around "Oh? there are games?"

Charlaine smiles a bit "Prince Aiden please meet Prince Aurelian, and my dear friend Lord Aodhan." she introduces as she collects a box from Aodhan, "Well its not that hard of a game, I had the servants lace the ribbons around the furniture, its simple enough, you take a piece of ribbon and follow it to its end, may the turns it take never daunt you, and a sweet prize awaites at the end!" It was a fun chaste game fitting for the house.

A pale woman with unbound hair is entering in a silk gown that must clearly must have been borrowed from another - as evidenced by the near daring cut, the striking color, and the white rose motif - this is Carita Darkwater. After she steps into the dining hall she offers the room a curtsy before greeting all, "Happy Birthday, Lady Blanchard. I am attending your special day as a representative of House Darkwater. It is our sincerest hope that you enjoy your day and that you have many more happy ones to follow."

Aodhan smiled to Aiden and extended a hand to him "A pleasure." He then looks to Charlaine and offers her an endearing wink "Sounds like fun. Can't wait." he would extend his hand to her, and if she took it, he would press a kiss to her knuckles in a noble manner befitting friendship. It was a chaste action.

Aiden turns toward the introduction to Prince Aurelian and Lord Aodhan both, "Pleased to meet you Highness, Lord." He grows quiet though at Charlaine's explanation of a game. His eyes turn when Carita mentions her name and House she comes to represent. Aiden is expectantly looking around her for someone else, though smiles to her all the same. He does a small oh sound when Aodhan reaches out a hand, taking it with a quick enough shake.


    Aurelian nods to Aiden and Aodhan, accepting any hands offered, and says, "Greetings to you both, Your Highness, My Lord." in his calm, respectful tone. Then Carita is given an equal nod, "My Lady." Yep the epitome of Valardin formality, and perhaps a bit of the most boring individual possible. He then looks over the ribbons with his only outstanding feature, his strikingly pale blue eyes, as though studying the rtibbons for which he might choose.


Charlaine grins a little as she looks to Carita, "it is a shame Max could not attend but thank you Lady Darkwater for coming to this special day. If you all would like to start the game, grab a piece of ribbon and follow it as it takes you across to the cake." she says as she gathers her gifts and beams to those who have come to share this day with her. "His Highness, Prince Aiden, and Prince Aurelian, would you start?"

"Our in the general sense, your Highness. My Lord." Carita draws in near and offers another curtsy to the gentles, tucking a bit of white-gold hair back over her shoulder with a smile. Then, sea-blue eyes turn back toward the guest of honor, and she beams. "Naturally, any gift that I bring will never outshine the brightness of your spirit..." Carita speaks up, before pausing to tap a fingertip against her upper lip. "I think that's what the Count said. I chose the gift, so, if it does not please you I will find one that will. No blame for my liege on that point."

Aiden is about to say something to accept his part in the game, when a messenger breaks into the celebration and taps him on the shoulder, handing over a parchement.

Renault, a floofy persian cat arrives, delivering a message to Aiden before departing.

Aodhan nods once to Charlaine and smiles "Sounds fun." he says once more, moving then to a ribbon after setting his cloak in a chair so that it won't get in the way. He wears dark leather armor, and looks about the room. Grabbing a ribbon...and following where it may lead...


    Aurelian nods to Charlaine even as his eyes continue to look over the ribbons, perhaps even mentally tracking their trails to determine which he will choose. Aftera few moments more he finally steps over and takes hold of one and waits for the official call to start is given to follow its course.


It really wasn't the cat that delivered a message. Really.

Aiden, after reading the message, turns to look toward the party goers and smiles quietly, murmuring something in Lady Charlaine's ear before he reluctantly starst to head to the door.

Butler, a Gyrfalcon, 1 Grayson Guardsmen, 1 Iron Guardsmen leave, following Aiden.

Charlaine smiles to Carita "any gift from Darkwater is a fine gift... shall we start? The boys have a good lead on us." she picks up a piece of ribbon as she follows it weaving under and over the chairs.. hers wraps under her Fathers foot. She grins as she tries to get him to move it, and then laughing she dances further into her goal, of getting to the cake before the Prince!

"Surely, perhaps we might conquer them yet." Carita chooses a ribbon - pretty coral orange - and she starts to follow its meandering path around the room. Beneath the table, over a chair. Managing to move very gracefully in a gown despite the tricksy twists and turns.

Aodhan follows the ribbon carefully, bobbing and weaving around people, around a table, strangely under a chair. hm. He seems to be having fun though, wanting to get to the cake before everyone else for the sole purpose of well...he's competitive.


    Aurelian starts once the word is given to begin. He follows the course of his ribbon with focus, yet he is also cable to keep up with what is going on around him fairly well as he pauses just in time to avoid a collision with a server and later stops and switcvhes hands so he has constant contact with the ribbon as he continues to follow a section that passes through the backrest of a chair. His movements largely efficient and focused even if they aren't overly quick. Seems he's focused more on finishing than placement.


Charlaine crouches and shifts grining as people become competitive to reach the cake.. she shifts her foot and stops someone from going further and she darts ahead as she turns the corner and crawls under a table. She laughs a bit as she tries not to loose her red ribbon as she weaves and dances round the room. She bumps a little into Aodhan "easy there." she says as she tries to untangle her ribbon with his, light laughter abounds the hall.

Aodhan ended up rolling over a table actually, a light smile coming onto his face. When Charlaine bumps into him, he grins at her, nudging her a little in return with a light laugh "Easy there yourself." he offered a playful wink before trying to work cohesively with the woman "no..I think this one goes over that loop..." he mutters to himself as he works to untangle his ribbon. When he is free, he goes about his merry table-rolling chair-sliding casually-walking way.

As Charlaine gets further ahead, Carita gets tangled in her ribbon. Hopelessly so. She has to backtrack in order to work out the knot she's essentially made of herself.


    Aurelian continues in his own path, once again seeking efficiency and focus over speed, he even pauses at one point to lift his ribbon high so Charlaine can pass underneath as she follows her own path. He is making solid progress even if not the fastest, seems his study of the ribbons path is helping him to move ahead with minimal obstructions or having to duck and weave as little as possible, and he seems to have great spacial awareness as well as he picks the right times to pause or stop to avoid collisions or the like. This may or may not be why he's focusing less on speed as he is moving as though he has less things to delay him compared to the others, when they finish it will show if that is the case or not.


Charlaine ooohs as she sees Carita all tangled and she tries to backtract to see if she can help her... trying not to let go of her ribbon before she looks over to the Lady .. "under and round the chair Lady Darkwater!" she calls to help, though her pause also lets others take the lead and it would seem that Aurelian was getting closer to the cake.

Carita glances upward at the messenger as she shrugs helplessly with an airy laugh, "I would accept the letter, but I am rather caught up in this. If you would help me, please, it would be appreciated." The messenger has now been included to remove Lady Darkwater from the infuriating pile of ribbon. "Thank you so very much," she says as she sends the messenger on the ribbon hunt in her place. As she opens the letter to read it. She smiles, and frowns slightly, "I am afraid that I am being called away."

Aodhan sees Aurelian get closer to the cake and he visibly frowns a little, but shrugs because this was all in great fun. He starts bobbing and weaving some more, smiling when Charlaine provided verbal help for a seemingly struggling Carita. He moves ahead, at this point maybe or maybe not trying to beat Aurelian. He was just gonna go with the flow at this point, and if he wins, yay! if not, oh well.

Charlaine laughs as she tries to follow her ribbon back to the cake, a little slower now as it was then her turn to get a messenger! Darn these messenger!

A messenger arrives, delivering a message to Charlaine before departing.


    Aurelian continues his path, even stopping to press his ribbon to the floor while still holding it to allow Aodhan to step over without tripping before continuign on. He doesn't seem driven to win, merely to finish as efficiently as he can. He is largely silent though he does offer a polite nod to Carita saying, "Safe journey to you My Lady, may the gods bless your path." Though his gaze remains largely on his surroundings and he barely even slows as he speaks.


Aodhan seemed to be getting really close, but he runs dead into a chair, laughing a little as he regains himself. he slowly moves around it..yet it seemed Aurelian may have been just a step ahead of him still. He grins mischievously when he sees Charlaine be held up. Just him and Aurelian!

Aodhan ...or so he thought.

Charlaine laughs a little as she drops her ribbon to accept the messenger and she sighs softly "Princess Sophie says happy birthday" she grins as she walks over to the table of gifts looking over them.


    Aurelian asks, "Yet couldn't come to take part. As her cousin I shall endeavor to remind her of the priorities of friendships over healing the masses." with another soft smile as he continues, turning the last bend towards the cake, yet he still doesn't charge ahead, instead he walks almost casually towards the target. He doesn't show superiority or arrogance so much as confidance and the drive to reach the end and ranking he's earned.


Aodhan shook his head just slightly, following the ribbon and JUST now entering the last bend, just a few steps behind Aurelian...he quietly thought about just leaping ahead, but instead he just walked...at a slightly faster pace than casual. He did want to know what the prize was after all! He moves a tad quickly.

Charlaine giggles as she looks to Aodhan as he rounds the corner and draws closer to the cake, she grins to Aurelian "you should tell her off you should, his Highness".. she giggles a little as she watches him reach the cake and it would seem. He earns the first slice!


    Aurelian continues his course, even as he nods to Aodhan in passing as the faster walk allows the other man to catch up and then release his ribbon to reach the cake just a step or two before Aurelian, "You made good time My Lord." in his typical calm, conversational tone showing no signs of bitterness or regret in his loss.


Aodhan eventually reaches the cake and drops the ribbon. He smiles to Aurelian and extends a hand to him. He was surprised that he didn't really even seem to truly try to compete or anything. He smiled to Aurelian and gave a glance to Charlaine "Good contest." he didn't seem confident or arrogant, just smiling because he had fun.

Charlaine smiles a little as she looks to them "thank you for joining me on my day it was very nice". She smiles to Aurelian, "I think I should call this to an end.. I am all funed out." she grins to him.


    Aurelian shakes the hand and says, "Seems you have earned your prize for the game." He then nods to Charlaine and says, "Thank you for inviting me My Lady."


Aodhan smiled at Charlaine, tilting his head slightly to her before nodding once to Aurelian. "It was a game well played." looks then to Charlaine once again "Yes, thank you for inviting me. Had a blast." he chuckles.

Xenovia the Courtesan leaves, following Aurelian.