My friends keep the best secrets. After presenting some very silly scrolls in morning court Their Majesties said “Oh, Violet. Hang on a second, we want to talk to you.” Uh, ok, sure. I remembered to bow this time before kneeling in front of them. Ryou starts talking about how anytime they needed help I was quick to answer and quick with the help. I said “I was hoping the LOaR would get published this past week so I could greet you with good news today, but it didn’t happen. Any day now.” He’s talking a bit more about how I do this for everybody and I’m thinking “I already have my silver crescent, what are they doing? Court barony? King’s token?” And I’m handed a familiar box of chocolates. I’m still confused. I notice the slight change on the box just as they called in the Order of the Pelicans! WHAT. THE. EFF. Ryan kneels down next to me and says “Gotcha”. I said “You didn’t eat the chocolates!” I get fixated on dumb details sometimes.
They whisked me off to my vigil tent (loaned to us from Broch and Aislinn, so it was a purple tent) which hadn’t been fully set up so I wouldn’t notice it was for me. Of course I helped finish decorating it. Fiona and Saravit had brought the House Three Skulls camp banners back from Pennsic so those were put on. David brought the small banner I had put up for his elevation. Jenna had made a banner with my device on it that was used as a doorway between the waiting area and my private area. Only the side walls were put up so the front and back were open and there was good airflow. Which I really appreciated so I wouldn’t spend the entire time with a mask on.
Most of the day was a blur of people coming in. I ate some, but it was quite warm and I kept shifting my chair around to find the most comfortable/level spot I could while still being close enough to the visitors to hear them. I drank some cider and some sekanjabin. I didn’t even think about taking notes of what people said. When Their Majesties came to talk to me and it was a good chat. I asked if they would help me in pulling shenanigans, and told them what I wanted to do. They were all for it. After everybody had gone through and it was the first call of 10 minutes to court, I suddenly thought about what if they ask me if I want to say an oath? I had written up a thing in my google drive a year or so ago, just as a starting point that I had planned on building on and editing. So I took a quick look over that, changed a couple of words to update it (taking out sword and spear and putting in water and support) and thought it was good enough. I also thought about changing into my sari instead of the ghawazee, but garb has never been my strong suit and the outfit I was wearing was still very nice for me, also I decided there wasn’t enough time to run back to the tent to change. There was a bit of court before me on the docket, but eh, I didn’t have the brain power by that point to try to gussy myself up.
We started to line up, and Ryan was there like a sergeant pushing paratroopers off the plane. “You! Go! You! Go! You! Go!” So we’re walking up, me last obviously, and I didn’t hear the beginning of Jenna’s boast for me. But I heard something about “You may NOT have your charge be an ant!” and my brain was going “Why not?” then I head the lines “Even meant as a joke, Herald’s College do not poke, Because heralds don’t pun, they cant.” and I did the little hopping dance I do when I’m delighted. I was absolutely grinning under my mask. Then Ryou said I have business with another first, and Ryan came to take back his yellow belt. As soon as we finished that, I said “Your Majesty, I have a favor to ask.” I took the skunk out of my belt pouch, handed it to him and said “Please tell Ryan. I want him to know it was me.” And Ryan absolutely *freaked out*. There is a wonderful series of photos and a few videos of me pointing and yelling “GOTCHA!” and him pointing at me and yelling “FOUR YEARS!” That settled down and then the speakers were brought in. I put in my ICOP to have speakers do it in limerick. Or at least keep the speeches short, because I know how long court goes and speakers who go on and on and on, while it’s nice to hear that about the person, it does not do well by the tired people in and attending court. So Ozurr and Matthias actually followed my whim! Ozurr’s was a valiant effort and he followed it up with a few short words afterwards. Matthias had three or four sets of limericks (Still went quick though) that was absolutely amazing. The other speakers also gave wonderful and brief speeches. Two medallions were presented, one bought at Pennsic that was purple, and one made by Antonii that had a pelican perched over three skulls. Hugoline and David gave me one after court that is a House Three Skulls legacy stealth medallion. Suzanne made a cloak for me that is wonderful, made of purple velvet and has my badge (A suffolk knot) repeating as the edge trim, with various badges and my device in the loops of the knot. I absolutely love it and can’t wait to wear it to cold events. Then Syd presented my hat. A few years ago I had asked Ryan if a cap of maintenance had to be red. He said that’s what is listed in corporia, so yes. I was all “Fiiiine, I guess.” I had screenshot a facebook conversation between him and Honig where he said mauve is a shade of red, so I could argue for a purplish hat. But the hat that was made for me is a purple bycocket hat (a style I love and was considering getting one day) which fits my tiny head pretty well! When I saw it I said a quiet “Yes!” at the color. They asked if I wanted to do an oath, so I took out my phone (I hadn’t had time to write it down on paper), forgetting to hold the sword of state as well, oops, and being the herald I am, I spoke my oath loudly. It was a balance between projecting enough that the populace heard me and not being so loud that everybody standing at the thrones were being shouted at. They did their spiel of “we hear you and support you” and I absolutely love that it is my friends who were the royals that elevated me.
I haven’t 100% decided what title to use. Mistress is the traditional title, but there’s been a movement to start shying away from Master/Mistress with all the negative connotations for POC. I did originally like it because that’s what K9 called Romana. Looking at the College of Heralds approved alternate titles I don’t feel like there’s one that both is culturally appropriate for me that I also like. I was thinking maybe old English Hlaefdige, but nobody besides a select few people would know how it’s pronounced (Leftidge), plus I’d have as much trouble spelling it all the time as I do An Dubhaigeainn. I considered Sensei for a few seconds because I was elevated during a Japanese themed reign, but that didn’t feel right either. Possibly Portuguese Mestra because both TRM personas are actually Portuguese. But it doesn't roll off the tongue for me with the rolled r. There really is no rule that I know of saying I can’t keep using Lady. But I guess I’ll stick with Mistress for now. Of course, me being me I did a bunch of other stuff during the event. Calligraphed scrolls, retained, shennaniginated my husband and Ryan with awards, heralded my baroness' elevation, sent in an entry for the dessert challenge, etc. But that all pales in comparison to the tale told above.
