Comfort and Joy

[noprevaricating]

Who: Come one, come all! ...In formal attire.
What: A Christmas ball, old world style.
When: December 1st, beginning around five in the afternoon and ending when the last person leaves.
Where: The rec center.
Summary: Earth's eighteenth-century peeps are throwing one hell of a party.
Rating: Well, considering no one is serving water? Probably PG-13 for

Comments

[tehoniongirl]

Jilly wasn't a nervous person, particularly about appearances. Clothes were, more often than not, either comfort or costume, and she was happy with either. But even for Halloween extravagance or the occasional gallery showing, she had never really worn anything so elegant as the dress that Liz Swann had talked her into. Used to jeans or dresses with much less substance to them, she was still learning how to manage the full skirts, holding them up with one hand so she wouldn't trip as she made her way into the recreation center

/attacks. with love.

[straightatem]

Jack Aubrey appears with a cup of wassail in his hand meant for Jilly. He was as happy as he could ever be and he wanted to ask for a dance to be saved later tonight with his most favorite partner in Luceti.

"Miss Jilly, you make that dress look rather pretty!"

Oh so smooth.

The best sort of attack. ^.^

[tehoniongirl]

She laughed, accepting the cup gratefully as she looked up at him. Very much up. "That's very sweet...but I think you have that backwards."

[straightatem]

"Come now, Jilly I know I mix my proverbs up but I really must insist you do the gown justice."

[tehoniongirl]

"They're more fun mixed up, anyway." Not that she's directly addressing the compliment. There are some things that Jilly cannot do with ease, and accepting compliments is one of them.

But she has no desire to be self-deprecating, either. There is too much to delight over the ball for that. "This might be the most wonderful thing I've ever attended," she said, nodding to the room around them.

[straightatem]

"I'm quite pleased with the turn-out myself," he beams at the room of people. Legitimately happy this evening without having to force himself into it. And his wings wouldn't let him forget it. He feared, at moments, that they might ruin his coat.

"It was a marvelous idea, really."

[tehoniongirl]

"And I heard we have you to thank for the food." Which reminds her to take a sip of the wassail he'd brought her, savoring the taste.

[straightatem]

"Not by my lonesome, thank the Lord. My goose would have been well and truly cooked otherwise!"

Ugh.

And he starts to laugh.

[tehoniongirl]

She can't help it. She laughs with him. The ridiculousness of the joke is too perfect not to.

[straightatem]

"Hah! Oh what a jest!"

He scrubs at his eyes before patting Jilly on the shoulder. "Capital indeed."

[tehoniongirl]

His merriment at his own joke just makes it all the better. Her eyes crinkle with her smile as she shakes her head. "Jack, I think you might be wonderful."

[straightatem]

Jack grinned at that, happy as a clam that she would pay him such a pretty compliment. His head bows a little in a quiet (if not for the dying chuckles) thank you.

"You think so." So he wasn't completely demurred. But still flattered - he was just about to continue his thanks when....

A lively tune! Jack - if he could without looking completely insane - nearly bounced up and down. He managed to not do such a thing, thankfully, and instead proffered his hand up to Jilly with the silliest of smiles.

"Would you care to dance?"

[tehoniongirl]

His delight was mirrored in her own expression, and she took his hand with a smile. "I would love to."

[straightatem]

((OOC: Continued Here.))

[seventeensir]

"Miss Jilly."

The words are quiet, more breathed than said. The Navy captain is, yes, staring at her, but it's a look of pleasant, gentle surprise, nothing more. He's used to seeing her in clothes that look strange to him, probably spattered with paint to some degree. In not only a dress but a dress he can warmly approve of... he almost doesn't know what to say to her.

But his sense of propriety kicks in and bends his back for him. One arm goes behind him, the other in front, and the bow is smooth and polite, and he rises, keeping his head ever so slightly inclined while his lips twitch in and out of a smile.

"You..." He can't quite find the words 'look lovely.' But he can manage something else that tries to convey the same meaning. "A beautiful dress, Miss Jilly."

[tehoniongirl]

"Horatio." Her smile isn't exactly shy, but there's an edge of something subdued when she looks up to see the captain standing there. There's no lack of joy at seeing him. The night wouldn't be right without him there. But with Horatio, more than anyone else, she's fully aware of how far she's stepped out of her own time.

His bow, so genteelly formal, only accentuates the feeling. But when he gives that politely restrained complement, she can't help but smile. The sentiment, however carefully offered, is appreciated. "And a very fine uniform, Mr. Hornblower."