closed starter for @ofharfordss when/where: cocktail hour, the conclave gala
Why is the cocktail hour so far away from the important discussions? Not that Danielle wants to go into the most important part of the evening drunk, but she needs to balance her nerves and her... enjoyment of the night, if that's possible? She can't go a few steps without meeting some form of sympathy (appreciated, though oppressive) or skepticism (not unwarranted, but not reassuring). She also feels partially responsible for her boss, Jonas, and doesn't want to throw him into the deep end. Dani does not want to be the girl responsible for getting the Mayor of Port Leiry accidentally eaten by a foreign dignitary.
But after the initial rush of conversation and some introductions, she's already splintered off from Jac and Jennifer (and the younger siblings, who have all gone off to enjoy the festivities as best as they can). The carpet beneath her sensible footwear is soft, but doesn't provide the same grounding stability as earth does. And Dani is trying her level best not to look lost, bewildered, or otherwise out of place among the throngs.
While there's a flood of personalities and people, most of the room contains the same dignified air of importance, age, and wisdom. Of course, there are those who see a party exactly for what it is -- a party. They must not be the ones here to talk business. But as she scans the room, Dani's eye is caught by the sight of something that feels... immensely out of place, in the hands of a young man whose familiar face she remembers meeting off the bus, new in town.
"I'm sorry, is that... a pina colada?"