smallestopener | The Princess Birthday Ball

The huge, white tent sprawls on the lawn beside the lake. It has been transfigured there for a very special occasion. A stone walkway leads from the bar to the tent - the pavements are wide enough that ladies' dresses won't trail on the ground as they make their way to the entrance. Over the draped curtains of the entrance way is a large banner which reads "Happy 7th Birthday, Ingress".

Once inside, the honored guests will be in the midst of an enchanted ballroom. There are balloons drifting in bunches from the circular tables lining the sides of the large dance floor. Floating candlabras glow with gentle light from above. There are trees in large ornamental pots interspersed throughout sparkling with fairy lights from real fairies.

One long banquet table is positioned on along the side of the ballroom - there are treats of all description. Little finger sandwiches, chopped up fruit, cookies, cheese and crackers, and other child-friendly h'ors douerves are presented to make sure the dancers are sustained throughout the the party. There are large bowls of ice cream (kept cold with magic)and sundae fixings. Punch bowls of sherbet-flavored drinks await ladling into crystal goblets. But most impressive is the large birthday cake with blue, purple, and pink icing roses festooning it.

Ingress is busy greeting her guests in her gown - a birthday gift from Amy and Susan - but soon she'll be dancing to the music provided by the overlarge Gramophone in the corner, which is playing a wide array of dancing music from waltz standards to court music to pop hits of the 20th century.

Tom, who's pretty tired from the magical effort required to pull this off, is in the background making sure his little girl is having a perfect party, and Princess Amy is helping Ingress in her hostess duties.

Come in and enjoy the party!

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"Why, thank you--is it Lord?--Mendanbar," she smiles at the cherry in its precarious position, and adds some of the chocolate sauce sparingly around it. "Candied fruit I am familiar with, though."

"It's King, actually," says Mendanbar cheerfully. "But just Mendanbar generally."

He adds a couple of cherries to his own ice cream.

"Candied cherries go very well with ice cream."

"I shall remember," Cora promises with a slightly startled grin, "but I'm afraid you're stuck with it for today, King Mendanbar. There does seem to be an awful lot of royalty in Milliways," she adds thoughtfully.

And then blushes. "I've never, actually, had it before. But I'd think candied cherries would go with most things."

"I'd never thought about it before," says Mendanbar, "but you're right. I wonder why that is. Perhaps the Landlord is fond of crowns and circlets.

"And I think you're lucky. I don't remember the first time I ever had ice cream, and I'd rather wish I did. I assume that I was delighted by it, but I don't know. You'll get to remember."

“Most people seem to be,” she agrees with a laugh before eyeing the ice cream carefully.

Cora pokes it carefully with her spoon, smearing the chocolate sauce, “That’s probably a good way to look at it, though I assume that—like most desserts—it’s terribly sweet.”

Quite decisively she eats a spoonful of it, and her eyes widen.

"Well, it is sweet," he says, "but there is nothing terrible about ice cream."

He watches her try it, amused.

Finally she swallows, and blinks. "...it's very cold."

"That would be the ice part," he says. "It's basically sweetened, flavored, frozen cream."

"That would make sense," she says, taking another bite. "It is very good, even if it startles the unwary."

"Well, I'm glad you like it," he says. "And I'm sorry if it startled you. But I think that's part of the fun."

"If it weren't so delicious, I would hold an awful grudge," she says with a laugh.

"Where did you say you were from?"

The Princess Birthday Ball

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