(( Just post Tribunal. Introduction dinner for Gerulf of Bonisagus, Rose of Tremere, Stultus of Tytalus.
Someone other than me set the scene, please. 
))
Korvin and Abagail arrives to the dinner early. Henri greets him and hands Korvin a wax tablet and then continues to see to the preparations. Korvin is dressed in his formal House robes and wearing his redcap. Abagail stands with Korvin and seem very subdued ( for Abagail) and thoughtful.
Alexei enters the chamber, his left arm in a sling, his right hand holding his staff and leaning on it. It's obvious he is in pain yet has a near constant pleased look on his face. With him is young Helmut, carrying a basket filled with dusty bottles of wine taken from the basement storage. Using his staff and a moment of concentration he touches his chair and it slides back at the touch for him to sit down and then pushes itself back in. Helmut is already filling a goblet for him from one of the bottles that was already present, the other bottles must be for later.
Korvin strolls over to Alexei.
Alexei. Since you are first here I will give you first choice of the vis in the stores. Most have 67 pawns of vis coming to them. Let me know you preferences and we can get it saved for you. Korvin shows Alexei the wax tablet. Do not be noble please. make your wishes know and we can hand them out.
((feel free to continue side conversations - just wanted to set the scene))
Tranquillina comes in next, clearly having spent a lot of time on her appearance for the occasion. She has changed her visage to look a decade or so older than her natural teenage appearance, and there even seems to be a bit of makeup (magical or otherwise, it is hard to say) applied to her face to mildly enhance it. Her currently long hair has been done up formally in an overly complicated braided bun, and she wears a long, flowing dress in Mons Electi's colors. She is doing her best to embody the grace and nobility expected of a host, although her fatigue makes it a challenge.
Tranquillina smiles absently at the people already present, looking around the room to make sure everything is in order. A great round table has been set for fourteen places; each setting has a delicately drawn placard with the symbol of a Hermetic House, and those corresponding to Mons Electi magi also have depictions of the appropriate voting sigil. Korvin's place is directly opposite the door leading out into the hallway, suggesting the head of the table even though it is round; on his right is a setting for the Redcap Renaud, and Abagail sits on his left. To Abagail's left, Korvin is helping Helmut seat the wounded Alexei for dinner, murmuring something to the magus that Tranquillina cannot hear but which makes her anxious nonetheless; the seat for Roberto is on Alexei's shield side. The two Tytalus magi, Stultus and then Marcus, are to be seated together next to Roberto, while Rose's setting is on Marcus's left. On the other half of the table, Sheelagh has been given a place to Renaud's right, after which a noticeable gap in the chairs admits room for Fiona to seat herself comfortably. After promising herself that she would not retreat into a private Gaelic conversation in front of her guests, Tranquillina placed herself on Fiona's right, with her Housemate Gerulf next to her. On the other side of Gerulf, Isen and then Jacques have been placed side by side, with Rose's seat on Jacques's right completing the circle.
Tranquillina toys with her own seat's placard, with its two keys drawn next to an ancient coin, as she inspects the support staff. Fully half a dozen servants are stationed around the perimeter of the room, with a runner at each door on the far wall to help carry victuals, used plates, and commands back and forth to the kitchens. Tranquillina catches Loys's gaze intently upon her and quickly looks away, still uneasy after the lad's request that afternoon; she knows it might be helpful to have a literate page, one who is familiar with the library and offices, present in case the conversation turns in certain directions, but she wishes now she had made a less distracting choice for that page.
As the others arrive for dinner, Tranquillina remains standing, making sure especially to greet the three guests with all the decorum she can summon.
((Sitting the Tremere next to the Tytalus? This should be interesting))
((hehe, possibly unwise! Tranquillina was just trying to get the Tytali as far away from her as possible....
OOC I was trying to get PCs next to one another as much as possible. Let's just assume Korvin's presence is grand enough to reach everyone :mrgreen: ))
((Thus ensuring that she'll be staring at both of them across the table. Perhaps she hasn't thought this through. :mrgreen: ))
Alexei smiles and takes Korvin's hand. "Thank you my friend. The keys to the vault are never safer than in your hands. Helmut has been scribing for me my choices already, though I find this embarassing to me. Helmut, please give the list." Helmut steps forward with a sheaf on vellum written in his flowing script. "Helmut too has been encouraging me to produce this while my mind has been elsewhere."
Helmut leans in to Korvin. "He has been in much prayer and contemplation, plus his wounds have kept him idle at times." he says quietly.
[i]Alexei's vis list:
Corpus 10
Creo 10
Perdo 5
Vim 5
Rego 10
Muto 10
Rego/Terram Vis 5 (Counts as 10?)
Herbam 7
If there are 5 pawns remaining as the Chess vis only counting as 1 pawn, then it shall be donated to the Covenant to be used on a worthy project as decided by Council vote, preferably being performed by one of our newest members.
It is also understood that while these are the desired choices of vis, they are not the final choice and Alexei will cede first choice should there be a shortfall and allow other members of Mons Electi preference in their selection.[/i]
"Alexei insisted on that last part." Helmut adds as Korvin looks over the list.
After retrieving the tablet from Helmut, Korvin wanders over to the table. He picks up Renaud's placement card and walks around the table and switches it with Rose's card. After completing this he heads over to Tranquillina. I talk to Renaud all the time and I would hate to see Rose having to deal with two Tytali all night. This way Renaud can give me his opinion of Stultus. I do run the problem of Rose and Abagail gabbing past me but I'll take that risk. He hands Tranquillina the tablet after updating for Alexei's choices. Your turn. 24 pawns of vis.
((The inventory is up to date for Alexei's choices))
Fiona arrives with her apprentice, dressed in her normal hermetic robes...kind of. They've been magicked to fit her form a little more closely than normal. Not scandalously so, but definitely accentuating her curves. ((MuHe base 3 to "change...item made from plant products", R: Personal, D: Sun +2, T: Individual, for a final Target Level of 5. Her MuHe CT is Sta 3 + Mu 17 + He 10 + Aura 5 = 35 ÷ 5 (no fatigue) = 7. Quite doable. And the reason she's doing this? Because Sheelagh has "Envied Beauty" 
))
She looks around quickly, spotting her and Sheelagh's placecards, and heads to her assigned seat.
[color=blue]"You look very elegant this evening, sodalis," Fiona says in Latin with a smile.
She approaches Alexei before she takes her seat and gives him a quick hug. [color=blue]"I started your potion this afternoon. It should be ready in about three days," she whispers in his ear during the hug.
She then goes to her chair and sits down, looking around her.
Roberto looks at the placecards and switches them around when no one is looking. He will sit next to el peyoso, but not Marcus.
Stultus enters with the other new magi, once the current inhabitants of Mons Electi have all arrived. A muscular and very hairy man dressed in rough homespun follows him in, lugging a book-sized package and a carved wooden frame (Rumpelstiltskin) that he leans against the wall.
Unlike (almost) everyone else, Stultus is still dressed in jester's motley. It's clean, and the colors are bright and festive, but it's still an outfit that's very far from formal robes. He saunters around the table, cheerfully greeting magi -- even ones he hasn't met before -- by name. (The only ones he does not seem to know, and just as cheerfully requests an introduction from, are Abagail, Sheelagh, and Rose.) Roberto, in particular, is greeted as "my flaming Flambeau friend", and Alexei as "Chief Hoplite von Kroitsau. A pleasure to see you again. Congratulations on your recent ere... I mean, election."
He clambers into the chair Henri shows him, and leans back. Unfortunately, this means that all that can be seen of him is the top of his head, two eyes, and a Nose.
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"You have my apologies for my attire, sodales. When I wear formal robes, I am frequently mistaken for a particularly garish animated hassock. Didn't want there to be any misunderstanding, y'see." (The corollary -- that there be no misunderstanding about who and what he actually is, and what Mons Electi is letting themselves in for if they admit him -- is left unspoken.)
!Don Stultus, el peyoso magnifico! Good to see you my friend 
Alexei purses his lips and looks at the bafoon in vague recognition. "I know you...we spoke at that one Covenant in the Rhine, you helped me...in your own way." he arches his eyebrow. "So you are here now and wish to join Mons Electi and it seems you know Roberto as well. Roberto? How do you know him?"
"Er ... all right, certainly Princeps," Tranquillina dissembles, somewhat put out that all her thought that went into the seating plan was changed on a moment's whim. At the mention of vis, Tranquillina seems to shrink a little bit. "Ah, thank you Korvin, but I can simply leave my shares in the common store and withdraw them only as needed."
When this doesn't fly ((I assume)), she reluctantly looks away and mutters softly, "Half in Vim and half in Corpus, then...."
Tranquillina does ((I think)) notice Roberto switch Marcus and Renaud's placecards. ((Per 2 + Awareness 2 + stress die 9 = 13.)) Now she is doubly hurt that people are questioning her seating plan, and she doesn't quite know how to react (especially in front of guests). As for Renaud - who will now be seated between two Tytali rather than near the other Mercere members - Tranquillina frantically tries to come up with a reason why she would have seated him there, so the Redcap will not realize he has been uprooted not once but twice.
Tranquillina smiles fondly, which does more good for her appearance than the makeup and hair put together. "Thank you, Fiona," she replies approvingly in the same language. "You are turning the men's heads, as usual."
He's been hanging around since the tribunal. And he amuses me. I know not much beyond that.
You may leave them in the storage. Just be aware that the kind you want may not be there. And I will permit only 5 more pawns vim to be taken. Do you wish to leave it all in storage?
Stultus grins up at Roberto. Either he doesn't understand that he's just been damned with faint praise, or -- more likely -- he simply doesn't care. "I aim to please." He pauses thoughtfully. "Myself, mostly. But I DO aim to please."
A moment later, he leans close to the Flambeau's elbow, motioning Roberto to bend his head down, and murmurs quietly "You did pass on my warning, yes?"
Alexei nods and smiles. "Well I do appreciate a good joke and have been known to tell a few myself. Odds are the difference between you and I, is that you're actually funny." he pauses and chuckles. "And you dress fancier." his smile fades after a moment.
"But...there are considerations to dwell on. What have you brought with you besides your wit? And what troubles can we expect?"