in the cradle.

[erythristic]

[the sunlight is gentler here than might be expected. that's the first thing to be noticed as they stand with their backs to the grand house. late spring or early summer, either is possible with the grounds flourishing. the sense is that there is enough time, and the atmosphere is something someone can breathe. fresh air, the occasional tweet of a bird, a clearer sky.

a bit of a ways off, bright red hair and an equally vivid gown mark Grell's figure as she makes her way across the grass, moving at a slow and steady pace. but before anything else, a young woman clears her throat to get their attention besides them, peering curiously at these guests. from her plainer attire, it's clear she's a servant of the place. dark eyes, dark hair, but a friendly voice]

"If you're looking for the Mistress, she's gone off, she wasn't expecting other guests...should I go get her for you?"

[however, Grell's far enough that shouting probably won't get her attention by now.]

Comments

[tevinteriscoming]

[This is actually not the sort of vision he was expecting for Grell. It's charming, and pleasant, in a way, but so quiet, slightly lonesome. It's a little more of her character he comes to understand to see it.

Still, this sort of scenario is familiar enough to him. His demeanor is naturally aristocratic enough that he doesn't fret to introduce himself.]

Cheeky of me to pop by unannounced, I know. I'd hate to ask you to disturb the lady of the house, but, well, I am only passing through for the afternoon. Would you be a sweetie and fetch her, then?

[mnasthai]

[ The scenery is something he can appreciate, actually. Kazuma's done this before, three times now, but all of the cradles were so very different.]

Ah, sorry about that. If it's not too much of a bother for you to... [ For her, Kazuma can play nice for a while.]

[erythristic]

As you wish, sirs.

[she bobs in a quick curtsy, and then hurries off across the grass, towards the figure in red. it doesn't take long for her to get close enough that Grell does hear her, and she turns around to come back.

as they return and Grell gets closer, the more subtle changes become visible - she looks healthy, well rested, like she hasn't a serious care. it's a long shot from the stress and exhaustion that consume her on the Pygmalion and leave her pale and more drawn.]

Thank you, Esther. That's all for now.

[Esther nods her head and disappears back into the house, leaving Grell with the two of them, and now she studies them both carefully, not losing her smile but seeming genuinely curious.]

I admit, I wasn't aware I would be having more than one set of visitors for the day, but I can't say it's not a pleasant surprise. Fate has a way of directing wayward souls into my path, and it's never dull when the moment strikes. Now tell me, gentlemen, what draws you here? A matter of business, my acquiring new neighbors, or perhaps you simply wished to see if you could bear witness to a star offstage?

[by her tone, this isn't the first time this has happened. some of the truly dedicated fans with the means might come to pay her courtesy - it delights her every time.]

Whatever it is, I'd have your names as well, so I might be able to properly welcome you.

[tevinteriscoming]

Dorian Pavus. It is a pleasure, Lady Sutcliffe. [With this, he'll do a sweeping bow and end with a kiss to the back of her hand. This is a fantasy, so why not play at dashing. Ideally, he'd like to claim to be a fan of her, but he doesn't know the names of any plays she might have been in. If he were home, he could bluff it out, but alas.]

My friends did tell me you're captivating on the stage, as you are off. But alas, I've yet to have the opportunity to take in a performance. It is your lovely estate that intrigues me. I've come into some property recently, and I've heard tell your grounds are unmatched in the region. I was wondering if you might be so good as to show us about, to see if inspiration strikes?

[mnasthai]

Kazuma Kval, it's nice to meet you Lady Sutcliffe. [ He is not familiar with the proper greetings of high society at all, but he does offer her a deep bow-- what would be customary of him to offer to one of The Ten.]

What Mr. Pavus says is correct, though he knows more of it than me. I'm merely an apprentice, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to meet you.

[erythristic]

Mr. Pavus. Mr. Kval. I'm delighted to make your acquaintances.

[her smile shifts to something warmer, and she's already decided that the two of them mean no ill, unexpected as their presence may have been.]

If you wish to see the grounds, follow me - I was going to take a walk before you gave me the pleasure of your company.

[and with the two of them, they can set off in much the same direction she was going before. she makes sure not to get ahead of them - it would be terribly rude to leave them behind.]

Whoever spoke so highly of my grounds must be trying to curry favor, or they are possessed of the same tastes as myself. I refuse to give into passing fads, and it makes me more of a classic example that a few might deride, but it comes out so timeless while others desperately try to stay current. Rather keeps one consistently fashionable when beauty is the aim and not competing with someone else, and it leaves more time for more worthwhile pursuits. Like my art, and being ready to attend to who comes and finds me between work, be they mysterious strangers and old friends.

[she says the last with a touch of fondness - the earlier visit still left her content and in high enough spirits that she thinks she could have some twist of fortune occur and be able to face it with a smile. soon, it had to be soon - before preparations for the season would begin anew. sometime this month?

while the flowers are in bloom, bright colors decorating the world in maintained gardens that yet allow the plants to be themselves, Dorian and Kazuma will probably appreciate that somehow, nothing about them is too strong or liable to set off allergies. whether that's due to the open space or something else, who cares?]

Of course, talk to me in a month, and I'll be much more inclined to sound wistful towards the city itself, when the charm of being on break begins to fade and I begin to long for work and the heightened energy of it all again. In such patterns we are akin to so much else, be it the rise and set of the sun, the trees turning to colors of flame, or the way one must rest before a new day can begin.

But for now, in the interim, there is only the joy of an open schedule and little required of me save to exist and attend to whatever small duties fall under my scope while I'm here. Finding the harmony that works for oneself - it's such a simple thing, but you'd be surprised how many ignore it.

[as they are her guests, she sees no problem in going on about whatever topics cross her mind. in this world, Grell can have her own opinions, and freely so.]

[tevinteriscoming]

[Good. His goal was to get her talking about what she's passionate about, to get to the root of the illusion. His hunch was gardening was one way to go, based on her interests on the Pygmalion, and he's not disappointed. He's not much of a fan of gardens himself; the Imperium has its share, and Orlais even more, but his allergies often bother him too much to truly appreciate it. In that way, Grell's lovely and well kept grounds are far more to his taste.]

Oh, one never ought to follow the trends. Set them, or exist outside them. Either way, its far more to my own taste than some of the garrish stuff I've seen. If I never have to see any foliage cut in the shape of a lion again, I'll be pleased.

[But the last thing she says catches his attention more.]

Wise words, well taken. It surprises me to hear you say as much, though. An actress and an avid gardener - somehow I pictured you quite busy. Or is it that busyness can be harmonious yet when one's duties are also one's pleasure?

[mnasthai]

[ Kazuma spends most of the time Dorian's talking admiring the flowers--he was never a gardener, but there was precious little to do while dead, so it was a newly acquired hobby. He's also never been one for a verbal dance really, so there would be little point in making an attempt now. It's not like he would be very good at it anyway.]

Red roses are your favorite, aren't they? [ The direct approach had worked for him three times before, so why change it.]

[erythristic]

[she's about to go on about the bliss to be found when being able to make dreams into work and vice versa, but Kazuma's question has her pause, looking at him with a bit of surprise.]

They are, yes. So many get that wrong.

[not that she wasn't flattered by the guesses - so many flowers had their own beauty - but she loved the look of shock when she revealed what a simple answer it was. for this stranger to get it correct on the first guess? either he's lucky or has a keener eye than she expected.]

Not that exotic and fanciful flowers do not have a loveliness all their own, but ever since I was a girl, the rose has remained utmost in my heart. And red...the color of passion, strength, the blood that carries both life and death within it, and so much else. That color is supreme over others.

[the brighter and more vivid a woman could be, the more she was beautiful - a striking and gloriously dangerous sort that nevertheless pulled the eye and attention.]

As for my work? How busy I am feels inconsequential when the results are in front of me. All of it rewards one in the response - if in my acting I can bring the audience joys and sorrows they never felt before, then I have given them something to remember. If in my attention to plants I can coax out their beauty, then something has life that did not before.

[she has done something. has a purpose in this, a role and a security in witnessing something exist that required her there. and so it can take what it must, as long as it gives something to her back.]