The Clement Christmas Ball (Purebloods (of Status) Only)

OOC: This topic follows on from here: The Clement Christmas Ball (Open to All)

23 December 2023 7pm - Midnight

After finishing their customary hour out in the grounds of the Palace, Louis was mightily relieved to be heading inside once more. The chill of the December evening -- whilst muted with the aid of magic, but not eliminated -- was starting to creep in to his body, but as one of the many members of staff of the Palace had met his eye and given a small nod to say that it was time to move inside, Louis had been relieved.

Excusing himself from a young tailor -- who was trying very hard to get Louis to agree to using some of his work, which Louis had replied that he would love a sample of his works -- he had found Vanessa with a number of parents with young children. The smile on his wife's features as she spoke to the children about how they were doing with their school, and whether they had behaved enough for Père Noël to visit them in two days was enough to make Louis pause for a moment, taking in the witch who'd laid claim to his heart over four decades ago.

Perfection, many argued, did not exist, but in Louis' mind, they had never had the pleasure of knowing someone as truly amazing as his Lady wife.

Waiting for a break in conversation, Louis moved to Vanessa's side, and those she had been talking to offered him a small bow or curtsies, and a chorus of 'M'Lord' at his presence.

"Bonsoir, mesdames, messieurs." Louis had replied to them all, a warm, genuine smile upon his lips. "I am afraid I must ask the Lady Clement to leave you, the festivities are about to begin... Je suis désolé." Louis explained, and they all insisted it was okay, before once again repeating the action of acknowledging their station.

Taking Vanessa's hand, Louis led the witch back up towards the Palace where they paused halfway up the steps (as usual) and turned to the crowds, giving a royal wave to them all as the music -- and therefore the party -- of the lower classes began.

"I believe we did enough." Louis said as the doors closed behind them after a final cheer from the crowd. The staff came forth in an instant, righting their appearances from any small adjustments made by the elements outside. Snow was dusted from Vanessa's dress, whilst her hair was checked to be in place. A small adjustment -- likely of no use -- was made to Louis' hair, and his shoulders were brushed off lightly from dirt that didn't exist. The staff stepped back after a few moments, and Louis offered his arm to his wife once more.

"Ready to dazzle, ma chérie?" Louis asked, waiting for her confirmation before they moved forth towards the ballroom where the gargantuan Christmas tree stood as the centre piece.

Champagne was being handed out by the staff to all -- after all, Pureblood children did not make a spectacle of themselves. Jacques and Elenore were in attendance ready to meet their guests, Louis' Maman and Papa had even brought themselves out from their withdrawing rooms for the event. Louis picked each of them out in the already assembled crowds of the evening, and the smile on his lips grew upon seeing (almost) all of his family in one place.

Mimosa's absence, though, had hurt him. For some reason, the child had opted to spend the Christmas break with her grandpa instead of the Palace, but Vanessa had assured him they would see the child again soon enough.

And so, as they descended the stairs in to the large number of guests in attendance, Louis readied himself to play the perfect host for the evening.


OOC: This thread is reserved for Purebloods who have received an invite only. Those invited would be of the Elite variety of the site, and those Purebloods who keep in the high circles of life. If you're unsure if you fit this description, please ask Azalea or myself.

But, you say, I don't have a Pureblood character who meets this description, and I really want to join in this event! Well, you can! If you would like to come to the Ball, but don't currently have a Pureblood who fits the criteria above, we welcome you to bring an NPC to the event. All we ask is that you put an OOC note with the following information, so that everyone knows who your family is:

Code:

[b]Name of NPC:[/b]
[b]Country of Origin:[/b]
[b]Family members of note (and if they're at the ball):[/b]
[b]Anything of worthy note:[/b] (i.e. a family scandal we can RP with, a tie with the Clements/other family you wish to use in this RP (please check with Azalea and I first), etc)

This will help for a much more detailed RP, and allow everyone to sing off the same hymn sheet.

If you have any plot ideas you'd like to bring in, please ask Azalea and I, and we will do out best to accommodate!

Jacques had arrived back at the Palace on the twenty second of December in and amongst the whirlwind of preparations that always accompanied the festive season. He'd have been back a few days previously had it not been for a number of the extra-curricular activities he'd joined at University insisting on Christmas drinks, meals and functions for each of them.

Which meant the moment he had gotten home from university, Jacques had been pulled too and fro by the staff, insisting he try this on, signed off on that thing, completed this, and aided with the completion of that. To say he hadn't had a moment's peace upon arriving home would have been an understatement, but he wouldn't change it for the world.

The Saturday had come with ensuring all of their guests that would be staying the night were greeted and then handed to a member of staff who would show them to one of the many rooms that had been set up for the occasion. Welcoming people from across the world with Elenore and ensuring everyone knew where they were to be at the right time.

By the time they'd changed for the evening, Jacques was feeling lethargic at best, but he knew that he could not stop now, Maman and Papa were relying on both Elenore and himself.

As the Lord and Lady Clement moved out to see the masses, Jacques and Elenore convened to meet the Pureblood guests who arrived early. Both of them dressed impeccably, smiles in place, and ready to entertain.

Jacques fell in to step with their Russian guests when they entered the ballroom, moving off to greet them and show them around the vast Christmas tree that had been set up, and discuss the portraits of ancestors that were asked of by the adults. In turn, Jacques asked after the well being of Russia. How it was coping in the aftermath of the Summit, and, subtly, it's plans going forward. The conversation was amicable as the Champagne flowed with passing waiters, and Jacques was quite comfortable speaking to the family, knowing they shared the same ideologies... to an extent.

By the time the Lord and Lady Clement had arrived, Jacques had just finished explaining how he'd chosen his vocation in the Auror field. Looking up at his Maman and Papa, Jacques couldn't help the warm smile that graced his lips. As always, they looked flawless together, his Maman's youthful beauty radiant as ever, beside his father who, despite his best efforts, was starting to go grey at the temples.

That, Jacques reflected, was precisely as he hoped to be seen when -- in a number of decades -- he and the future Lady Clement entered a room.

[[OOC: I don't speak French and obviously Google translate is not reliable, so anything underlined in this post is meant to be in perfect, fluent French. xD

I also suck at proper titles; I THINK Lady/Lord is what I'm learnt to use? Idk. Just... assume it's whatever's right?]]

Jesse hadn't actually planned on attending the ball. Most of the time he didn't, or didn't need to, what with his siblings and father going. It wasn't too hard to find a reason, but this time, Jesse knew it was vital he go. After the whole incident with the British Minister, and the assassin being found near the Clements boat, his father had been very clear -- they were to make sure not to get too close, in the very slight off chance the Clements had been involved.

It wasn't likely, of course -- near impossible -- and even if they had been they wouldn't have been that dumb as to have it trace back to them. Still, coincidence was never a good excuse to ignore something, and so Jesse's father had very specifically said that the women of the family would be staying away. Jesse, on the other hand, was to attend in their place, mostly for image, and play politics as best he could.

And so, with his father caught up in Ministry business, Jesse made his sole appearance at the ball, passing the customary present to the staff before looking around the room for the main person he needed to find. And then, spotting them, he made his way over.

"Good evening, Lord Clement, Lady Clement," he greeted in fluent French, taking her hand as he did and kissing the back of it. "I hope all has been well? My father sends his regards and deepest apologies for being unable to attend; there has been some Ministry duty that has stolen his attention for the evening."

Turning, he repeated a greeting towards Mycroft and Winston, wondering, momentarily, what they would have thought if they'd known of the day he'd spent with their sister.

If he'd known... Mentally, Jesse pushed all that aside. What had happened had happened, whether or not he regretted it -- and, mostly, he didn't. It was a day well spent, and if he'd known she had been a Holmes, it would've been a day that never happened. The more he thought about it the more he was realising the signs were all there; he'd just been too caught up to not notice it.

That, he knew, had been Jesse. Here, he was Jules -- and he would be sure to act the part he'd been trained to since birth. There was, after all, a difference between the two. The most important duty done for the night, he spent a few moments making small talk before moving away and letting others have a chance to greet the hosts. Instead, he spotted a familiar figure across the room and made his way over, stopping every so often to greet someone or return a greeting, before finally reaching the intended male.

"Good evening, Jacques," he greeted, smiling. They had met a few times before in their circles, but to be able to say that they were friends would be a stretch. In truth, Jesse did not consider many people friends; acquantences he had plenty, but friends were rare. "How have you been?"

Name of NPC: Cristina Adriana Valdez
Country of Origin: Spain
Family members of note (and if they're at the ball):
Mother: Margarita Alyssa Rivera Valdez (51)
Father: Carlos Antonio Miguel Valdez (57)
Sister: Alessandra Rennei "Ren" Valdez (26)
Fiance: Adam Ainsworth Blakeney (24)
All are attending the ball.
Anything of worthy note: Cristina's older sister, Alessandra, is frowned upon by traditional pureblood society, as, at 26 years old, she is neither married not engaged to be married. She has expressed no interest in any suitors, focusing instead on enriching her mind and pursuing a career.

Cristina is 23 years old, and has been engaged to Adam Blakeney for the past eight months. The Blakeney family is a wealthy pureblood family from Shropshire, England. Though not common knowledge, Adam, the heir, is madly in love with a muggleborn witch named Margot Hunter, from his Hogwarts days. His parents, fearing a scandal sullying their good name, gave him an ultimatum: he was to cut off all ties with Margot, and marry a respectable pureblood woman within a year, or else lose his inheritance to his younger brother, Liam. The real threat was subtext: the family had ways of making Margot disappear, should he fail to comply. Fearing for her safety, Adam had, within two months, secured a betrothal to the youngest Valdez girl--a suitable bride, in his parents’ eyes. He did not love her, but she was unobtrusive enough that he could live with her without growing too annoyed. She, for her part, did her best to please him. She had very little choice in the marriage; her parents were eager to marry off at least one of their daughters before they grew too old to be desirable. She had dreamed of true love, but that seemed unlikely, so instead she did everything she could to try and make the rest of her life at least bearable. Perhaps if she tried hard enough, made him happy enough, he would learn to love her, and they could be satisfied. Their wedding is set for the end of January.


Cristina took her fiance's offered hand as they stepped into the Palace, parting with her sister at the door. It would be her first time attending the annual ball without staying at her sister's side; her first time accompanied by a gentleman. For that was what Adam was--a gentleman. He was nothing if not polite.

He was never more than polite.

Her gown was bordering on risqué, her upper body feeling rather more exposed than she was normally comfortable with. Her abuela always said her body gave her an advantage--that there was one thing a man was sure to notice, should she ever need his attention.

Adam's eyes had not even lingered for more than a second.

"You look stunning," he'd said with a blank smile, kissing her hand before turning his attention elsewhere. Perhaps she wasn't enough. Or, she thought, perhaps he isn't a man.

None of her frustration showed as she followed him into the vast ballroom, the picture of a perfect couple. She smiled demurely as he introduced her as his soon-to-be wife, and they both went through the motions expected of them. Her eyes were trained on his face as he spoke, hoping for something--a flicker of affection--and found none. He only glanced at her when prompted, and even then, only for the briefest of seconds.

They wove their way deeper into the room, making polite conversation with the other guests as they passed. She accepted a glass of champagne from a passing server, and glanced around to see where her sister had gone. She spotted her across the room, and wished she could be there by her side, as she had been every other year: las hermanas Valdez, preferring each other's company over that of their suitors. They always knew it had to end someday.

She met her sister's gaze from across the room, sent a silent plea. Yo quiero estar contigo.*

Her sister's lip twitched. Esto es lo que recibes cuando accedes casarte.**

Cristina shot her a slight glare, before returning her attention to her intended as they meandered around the Christmas tree to greet a friend of his. It was looking to be a long night.


*I want to be with you.
**This is what you get when you agree to get married. (This is probably wrong, please correct me if you know a better way to say it.)

With a polite apology to the small group he was with, and the soft joke he had a million and one people to meet this evening, and not nearly enough time to do so, Jacques relieved himself from the company of the Russian family and moved on to the next family his eyes found.

The Valdez family.

Well, the Valdez family and only a single member of the Blakeney family. Jacques had -- from his very quick recap of the families in attendance -- read over the fact the youngest Valdez daughter had been betrothed to Adam Blakeney. An odd arrangement given that the eldest daughter was not yet married off to someone, or betrothed, but there were greater oddities at the Ball that evening, and Jacques would never see fit to look down upon others. After all, you did not do good business if you started doing such things.

Jacques attention was pulled momentarily by one of the Indian guest's daughters who had come forth to see Jacques. She could be no more than eight, an adorable smile in place as she spoke, handing him a small box which Jacques assumed would be a gift meant to impress, and perhaps sway favour with the family.

"For you, monsieur!" The child explained, concentrating on the pronunciation of the French word as Jacques sank down to her level and accepted the gift graciously.

"Should I open it now?" Jacques asked, and the young witch nodded eagerly -- something Jacques knew would have put her parents on edge because it wasn't 'proper'. Obliging the witch, Jacques opened the box to find custom made cufflinks sporting the black and white diamonds of the Clement house. Jacques had so many pairs of cufflinks these would simply be another pair for his valet to choose from, but the smile on his features was genuine.

"Madamoiselle, these are beautiful!" Jacques told the young witch who looked delighted with that news. "Come here," Jacques added, motioning the young witch forward in to his arms. There was a warm embrace, before Jacques let the young witch go. She looked more than a little overwhelmed as she gave a small curtsy to Jacques before hurrying off without another word.

Straightening himself back up, Jacques caught his Maman's eye, noting the smile on her lips before he turned away, heading back to the original destination he'd been heading as he tucked the box inside the pocket of his jacket. The Spaniards had taken up conversation with another family, but Jacques' eyes were upon the youngest daughter of the Valdez family. The witch was not besotted with her fiance, Jacques could pick that much up. Usually, when the match was one that was quite agreeable to both parties, both would at least try to look entertained, but Cristina Valdez's eyes were upon her sister, and Jacques couldn't help but find that interesting.

"Bonjour, madamoiselle," Jacques greeted Cristina, giving her the smallest of bows as a sign of respect. "Forgive me, my sister is the one fluent in many languages, I only ever managed to add English to my tally." He explained to the Spanish witch with a small smile showing that he was hoping English would not be an issue.

"How are you finding the Ball so far, madamoiselle?" Jacques asked politely, before adding. "And congratulations on your recent betrothal, your fiance is a very lucky man to have been blessed with a woman as beautiful as yourself. Though, I do assume that beauty is not the end of the list of blessings he will have in marrying you."

It was a compliment of a modern man. Women in these circles were not just for their beauty or their bodies. No, a real man would understand the value of a woman with her own mind, and Jacques was quite sure he was heading down the right route in wishing for a woman with a mind, much like his Maman.

He would hold back anything further, though, until the youngest Valdez replied, not wishing to overstep the mark.

As the Clement heir approached, Cristina allowed her mind to return to the present, wishing to actually engage in this conversation, rather than simply pretend. She was adept at pretending, of course, but a conversation with Jacques Clement may perhaps be genuinely interesting--the first genuinely interesting thing she had encountered all night. She smiled politely at his greeting, returning his slight bow with an equally slight curtsy.

She had learned some French as a child, but she was hardly fluent. English would do--she had to know English; she was marrying an Englishman.

"Bonsoir, Monsieur. English it is, for I'm afraid my French is passable at best," she replied with a modest smile. Adam had ended his conversation prematurely in order to turn his attention towards the Clement heir. It was only polite, after all, to give the host of the evening priority. The Englishman greeted the French heir with a warm grin, grasping the younger man's hand, and placing his other arm carefully around Cristina's waist--an attempt at showing affection, though entirely too proper to convey any real emotion.

"Monsieur Jacques! It's good to see you. The Palace is splendid, as usual."

"Indeed," Cristina added, in response to the Clement heir's question. "The ball lives up to its usual reputation, which is to say, breathtaking."

She smiled humbly at the young man's compliments. "Thank you, Monsieur, you are too kind. I can only hope such merits are as obvious to my fiance as they are to you."

Her tone was light, but Adam seemed to read into the subtext, a brief flash of discomfort crossing his face before he covered it up with a laugh.

"I am indeed incredibly lucky. I suspect I shall be reminded of that fact every day for the rest of my life."

A compliment, at a glance, as any bitterness was well-hidden. But to Cristina, the words seemed sharp. Perhaps she was imagining it, but she thought it unlikely. She was always good at reading vibes; it was how one maintained diplomacy in situations such as these. Adam's compliment had been meant as quite the opposite, though only she could tell.

"And how are you, Monsieur? Not too busy entertaining others to be entertained yourself, I hope?" She quickly changed the subject to something that would make her feel less tense. Adam seemed to relax as well, as the conversation veered away from the topic of their impending marriage.

At Jacques Clement's request, Adam graciously stepped aside with a polite smile.

"Be my guest. It is hardly my decision after all."

That was one thing Cristina appreciated about her fiance. His lack of interest allowed her some degree of agency over her own actions. As long as she brought no shame upon his name--which she would never do, and he knew as much--he hardly cared at all what she did with herself. A silver lining, perhaps, though whether such freedom was worth its price had yet to be determined.

Cristina could hardly say no to a dance with the Clement heir, nor did she want to. Her only alternative was to remain with Adam and his school friends, an option she found to be less than appealing. Adam turned away as she took Jacques Clement's hand, accepting the dance with a smile and following his lead onto the dance floor.

As her hands fell gently into a closed position, the music prompting a natural response from her years of dancing lessons, she met the younger man's gaze.

"I hear you've been attending the university in England," she started. "Are you enjoying your studies? My sister speaks very highly of her own university."