96

"My gracious thanks to Kitty Harlowe for pretending she knows me so compellingly," you say, applauding in her direction. "Are you even more effusive, Dame Harlowe, with friends and family—or do you save all your superlatives for strangers? 'Umm…this is my mother…'" you say, aping Kitty's voice and looking uneasily side to side. "'She's…not bald, as you can see…'"

Kitty covers a laugh with her hands, and there is a chuckle or two from the tables. You press on, keeping your tempo quick and your voice light.

"'Tis my first time at Westfenster Palace, and I can scarcely express what an honor it is to be here. I will say, though, that I was a bit uneasy about tonight," you admit, wringing your hands. "I was starting to expect a roomful of potted topiaries instead of people. I mean, everywhere else I looked, there they were; why not here? 'Bandochel, you're never performed for shrubbery before, what are you going to do for them?' At least most of my jests are wooden, so that's a fit…."

You have to fight for every smile, but the longer you continue the more faces you see softening towards you. Your wit is operating in fine form, not just helping you generate jests but helping you extricate yourself smoothly from topics that aren't appealing and digging deeply into topics that strike a chord.

When one particular gag sends a burst of applause rippling through the room, you're pleased to see the King and Queen themselves murmuring to each other with smiles on their faces. Perhaps you can manage this after all. [+Surety]

Onward