Snippet #1397833

Jasper lingered towards the back of the processional. Not because he felt at all out-of-place; quite the contrary, he was quite comfortable in such a setting, and that was what bothered him. If he had not yet forgotten how to parade about in a doublet and trousers and socialize with people he found on the whole excessive and uninteresting, then it might not yet be soon enough for them to have forgotten him. He had removed the eyepatch for the sake of fitting in, though he fervently hoped this would not spark more questions on the subject. Blysse had been blessedly silent on the topic, at least as far as he could tell, but he wouldn't put it past someone who felt responsibility for the larger group, such as Ser Sev, and the problem was the explanation would inevitably yield more questions.

Ah well, naught to rely on but his luck then. Just as well he had the devil's own, he supposed.

He didn't miss much, and the strange state of Lady Lavinia's ears was noted, but ignored. There was a story there, he was sure of it, but there were other things to be considered. He wasn't here as himself, merely a part of the larger entourage of Blodwyn and Valen, but he knew very well that his sister would be. The letter had told him that though his parents were both unable to attend, Habren would be around somewhere. Jasper knew his sister was smart enough not to cause a scene if she should happen to see him, but he rather hoped she would not.

The group entered and separated, Which placed Jasper with Tiaryn and Arvin. Everyone knew everyone else by this point, in one way or another, but neither was particularly talkative soul (though he wasn't sure about non-animal Arvin). Either way, he'd probably have to do most of the socializing, since he and Tiaryn would be the only ones expected to speak. She looked a bit uncomfortable, not that he blamed her. If he had been trained to appreciate silence and avoid large crowds, this would be rather like a living nightmare for him. "Just try to relax," he told her in a low voice. "I'll take care of the talking."

And take care of it he did. It wasn't long before their little group had amassed quite a crowd, and Jasper was chatting amiably with lords and ladies that hadn't seen him in so long they wouldn't recognize him anyway. It was almost amusing, how simple it was to capture and hold their attention. Just a certain posture and tone of voice, an inoffensive joke here and there, and a few of his father's shorter war stories usually did the trick. He gathered tidbits of information here and there as well: who was most likely to support the Grey Wardens over Loghain, which other countries would be most hospitable if one or both of their former Crows decided to try something, and so forth.