A Euthoria Castle Party (Semi-Open)

Bloodstone closed his eyes, merely listening to Lunara speak, enjoying every second of the elegant voice. "Yes...He is stepped in the dark arts. It's unhealthy for one not prepared to try to go as deep as he's gone, and he appears to have very little concern for the consequences, which is a disturbing affront to proper necromancers." The stallion listened to Lunara and Purse talk, and Lunara monologue on justice, before clapping lightly. "Beautiful speech. I expect nothing less from a mare obviously destined for greatness." He then turned to the Zebra as they walked into the dining hall. "Though commentary is appreciated, I believe I made it clear that you were butting in." There was a look to his eyes, as if he was keeping up some facade of living, and he was really some sort of malevolent phantom. It was only for a brief instance, and only to Mezzotint, before he turned back to Lunara, and would take a seat next to her at the table.

Diamond Mind walked next to Purse, shaking her head slightly. She could read Purse, even though she was normally bad at reading ponies. "Good lord, you are awful when it comes to being subtle..." She watched her go up to the head of the table and sit in the chair, and Diamond merely took one of the spots next to the head. As a Baroness by title, she was expected to sit closer to the host, after all, and chuckled at Purse when she moved.

"Greatness is all in what you have achieved, not in what you are believed to have achieved, nor in what you say but do not do." Lunara smiles in an oddly content and satisfied way, very much like someone who has lived far longer than she clearly has looking back on a very long life of achievement. "I don't strive for the greatness that is recognized by others, or even known by them. My greatness is and ever will be what I do that no one will ever know about, not even the ones I've done it for. To the commoner, it matters only that someone cares, that someone has done a good and noble thing for them, that someone has concern specifically for their needs and their sorrows, and it matters much less to them that they know the face and the name of the one who cares.

"At the end of all your days, it is those things that make you great and not what others know you did." As she says the last sentence, she looks directly at Purse and then at Tea Leaf with a smile, before looking back to Bloodstone. "And leave the gentlepony be, he isn't doing me any ill, nor is he doing you any ill. If anyone has intruded upon me, it is the one who took it upon himself to speak to me first, though it doesn't upset me a whit to that you chose to start the conversation, milord." She nods to Mezzotint. "Pay the noblestallion no heed, sir. His zeal to uphold good manners led to him inadvertently speaking out of turn. I too think very well of Luna and Nightmare, both the Princess of the Night and the Mare of the Night. But see, we have a noble table set before us by our host, so let all things after be pleasant and light."

Lunara smiles happily and takes a seat roughly directly center between the head and the end of the table, looking up its length to watch Purse's deliberately provocative behavior with a politely concealed chuckle. "If you don't mind the question, sir," she says to Tea Leaf, "who is the young mare to you? I can scarce imagine that you'd conduct her hence if she was not dear to you in some way. Is she a niece, or perhaps even your own daughter?"

The spread before them glimmered and flowed out its rich chocolate scent across the room. Black Rose took his spot at the the head of the table with his elbows supporting his hands and resting his head on his hands. "Please, make yourselves comfortable... Now I imagine you're all hungry but let me say it is a real treat to welcome you all here to my castle and to share a meal with me." He stood up and raised his hand to chest level then thrust outwards. Suddenly the darkness were engulfed their plates and disappeared to reveal a meal worthy to their respective meal choice. Lovely island salads to the plant eaters and those that are meat were a grilled steak glazed in lemon and rosemary. Their glasses were filled to the brim in light crystal wine bubbling to the surface.

Black Rose sat down afterwards but another pony strode in from the darkness. Her lightly curved body revealed in a red lacy pair of lingerie, her white fur coat fluttering with the scales on he thighs down her legs on the outside of her legs. Her slit eyes narrowed right on black Rose. Striding quickly across the room, she wrapped her arms down his chest. Her head nuzzling against his, "Mhmm Black... I missed you, you are always welcoming new guests and never tell me."

Black nuzzled his mane back into her face, "Don't be too hasty... You'll get a full workout I promise." He turned his head to place a kiss on her lips. She purred in response to his advances but still traced his chest with her fingers. "I can't wait black... You do spoil me."

"Subtlety is for people not good enough to be upfront and not get caught." Purse retorted with her usual calm, smug demeanor; even though she was seemingly as arrogant and self assured as a teenaged filly the mare's eyes were darting around to take in every little detail and, presumably, committing them to memory in case she needed them later. Considering she was also playing with her fork with her hands it was actually very subtle despite her words, as her hands fiddled with the cutlery to keep attention there instead of on her darting eyes.

Tea Leaf evidently wasn't fooled and observed her tricks with an obvious fondness. "My daughter." He clarified for Lunara. "Blood be damned, it makes no difference to me; she's my little one." He smiled fondly as he talked of Purse, who smirked and pretended not to hear to save her dad the embarassment of getting sentimental again.

"Subtlety is for thieves with great deeds rather than great egos," Lunara counters, but in a light, teasing tone and her smile became almost as fond as Tea Leaf's. "But perhaps it's not for you. I have the feeling that come a decade or two, you'll be wearing bracelets in my courtroom like they're a fashion accessory, smirking like you're the guest star rather than the accused, and short-circuiting some poor old bailiff's pacemaker by flaunting what you've got while your poor state-supplied attorney tries to get you to take the proceedings seriously." She looks to Tea Leaf. "You have an impressive protege, Mister Tea Leaf, and a daughter that I dare say will cause you great pride. I fear the hat won't fit her, though... I see something more in pink or violet." She eyes the bubblegum pink hair. "I can't imagine why, but I feel that it might match her in some way."

Lunara takes an edge of her steak with a single easy draw of her knife and spears it with the same utensil, bringing it to her mouth and chewing appreciatively. "Mmm... delicious," she says, coincidentally just as Black Rose's lady friend enters. "With more than a single permutation, I might add. So would you be so kind as to make introductions, Milord Black Rose?"

Naina silently observed as Black Rose suddenly made their meals appear on their plates, her look curiously shifting to her own grilled steak. 'I suppose it's a good thing I had a big meal before I left home...' the sharkgal thought, keeping herself almost completely covered still. 'I can almost bet that this has either been poisoned or is a part of a deceased pony... Or an undead one.' she continued silently staring at her own dish, and just like the bag she was given, didn't touch it, but rather began looking around the room, her visions mainly focusing on Tea Leaf and the newcomer in lingerie who seemed to know their host well.