A Chilly Reception (Session Summary)

**A Chilly Reception** details the events of the November 28, 2021 session where the party continues to celebrate the royal wedding, with special visits from familiar faces.

## Session Notes

* Upon returning to the palace for the reception, it’s quickly apparent that the atmosphere is tense as a result of Simon ordering everyone out of the cathedral. The group discusses how to lighten the mood, eventually settling on music and mingling.
* Talos brings everyone a tray of drinks to help really get the party started, to Cecily and Sorni’s delight.
* Theo arrives with Aeron, who has since settled following receiving his Vision, and Aeron seems surprised that Aedryan isn’t upset with him.
* While the siblings are speaking, Sorni notices Peaseblossom speaking with Aedryan’s sister. Despite her best efforts to keep Aedryan from noticing, Cecily brings it to everyone’s attention.
* Aedryan asks about Oberon’s whereabouts so he can deal with Peaseblossom, but he is busy checking out the issue Talos found with the wall the day before — things aren’t going well.
* Anastasios and Sorni sweep in to help diffuse the situation by introducing Coraleigh to noblemen her age and politely encouraging Peaseblossom to leave.
* Cecily asks Talos if he is interested in checking on Oberon’s progress, and he agrees to an evening stroll. Sorni rightfully acknowledges how adorable they are, and Talos, smooth as ever, turns the compliment back on Cecily.
* After the scene, Anastasios informs Sorni that her mother and sister, Aleya and Veera, have arrived at the reception, despite not being invited — they were afforded entry by claiming Veera as Anastasios’s fiancée.
* The two come up with a plan to privately deal with the wedding crashers: Anastasios will invite Aleya to his apartments, and Sorni will join them soon after.
* Meanwhile, Simon and Aedryan make the rounds with their guests:
	+ First, Captain Song and Lord Aneid Sparrow, who note that Puck has been particularly helpful in combating creatures from the sea, but they could use more funding.
	+ Next is the group of teenaged noblemen who were introduced to Cora. After one of the young men, Lord Oryx, mentions his passion for art to Aedryan, she encourages him to dance with her sister — igniting a hellfire of teenagers speaking about their hobbies.
	+ Third is a group of elderly noblewomen who immediately comment on Aedryan’s body out of a concern that she won’t be able to provide the king with ‘healthy heirs.’ Aedryan tries to smooth over the conversation by talking about how she expects to have a lot of children with Simon, but soon notices Anastasios leaving the party with two women and finds an excuse for her and Simon to follow him.
* Sorni arrives at the apartments to find her family making the case that Veera is a “better” match for Anastasios. Once they notice her, accusations about Sorni’s character begin flying: she joined the military and forgot about her family, and now she’s being paraded around as a “rake’s mistress.”
* Sorni takes the opportunity to defend her and her paramour’s honor by declaring her feelings for Anastasios and the fact that they are waiting for a respectable time to marry; she rightly tells them to fuck off just before she notices Simon and Aedryan enter the room.
* After brief introductions, Veera puts her foot in her mouth by suggesting a “common soldier” isn’t worthy of a nobleman like Anastasios – a judgment everyone in the room can appreciate. Aleya attempts to apologize to smooth things over, but their efforts are quickly rewarded with humiliation and regret as Sorni and Aedryan put them in their place.
* Following Sorni’s beautiful takedown of her family, she and Anastasios retire to his wing while the guards privately escort Aleya and Veera out of the palace. Simon and Aedryan return to their reception.
* Back in Anastasios’s wing, Sorni apologizes for the fight but Anastasios focuses on the admission of feelings for him. She asks to discuss it further in the morning and they go to sleep.