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✫title: the artistxx✫wealth: ninexx✫kingdom: nearonxx✫tags: theodoreAnnalise reacted with little more than a half shrug. The Purcell family had always had strong, independent women and she expected no less from the ladies that were to be courted by the Purcell men. Colin's charmer would find her voice. She was quiet, shy, some could even say, but surely she had some fire to her. Every woman did, it was just a matter of how thick their skin had developed from the strict laws passed along by society. Annalise was nowhere near as involved in politics as her older sister Eloise was, but she still had a far-fetched fantasy that one day she'd do something to change it. At this rate, Annie didn't even care who it was that made that change. She just wanted it to happen. Women had just as many goals, talents, and brilliant ideas as men. It seemed as though their appearance was the only thing that created such a thick line between the two genders.
A more genuine smile appeared on his lips at his comment on her family. Annie had always felt a bit awkward talking to Theodore about family, for although she knew his life was not terrible, it was drastically different than her own, and she didn't want to accidentally choose words that might have given him the impression that she was rubbing her family differences in his face.
"And us, with you," she returned, which was very truthful. Theodore had always been adored by her mother in particular, but she had admitted to Annalise that she felt she needed to keep a closer, motherly eye on him after the tragic passing of his own mother, which had left him merely alone. Annie had never lost a family member and therefore wished to side away from that topic as much as possible. Not only would it surely make Theo more upset, but Annalise was ever-so-fearful that she'd say the wrong thing. She was blunt, but she did care.
Her gaze grew distant, though Theodore's words were loud and clear in her mind. She supposed the masquerade ball was a tiny step in the direction of what Theo was touching on. Dances like so, with glorious music and magnificent dancing, were more popular in Nearon than Arkley, but surely there were some higher-end workers from Arkley at the ball would be taking notes, right? Theodore's spoken wishes were similar to those Annalise kept close, and she was confident the two weren't alone. It was only a matter of whether or not someone whose voice was known could step up and say such a thing. Though Theodore was wealthy and had a popular name, he, like most of the citizens, was nothing to the King, and his pleading wishes were not more powerful. There had to be
some hopeful employers, though. Surely not everyone who worked under the Kings was pleased with what they were currently working with.
Her chin tucked back ever-so-slightly and she gave him a quizzing look, though it was teasing.
"Well," she began in a matter-of-fact tone,
"I cannot say Nearon would be the place I would visit for my travels, but you have always been one odd man, Mr. Theodore Lefeuvret. You must go somewhere big! Like France!" She opened her arms wide in a flourishing port-de-bras motion, as if she was introducing something big.
"You are too comfortable. You must aim higher." So perhaps she was being a
bit dramatic, but who was to judge? Annalise was much different than Theo in the sense that unlike herself, he could find a way to find satisfaction anywhere. A stay-at-home boy with a need for familiar comfort, it seemed. Annie could never understand how people could be so okay with settling with the same scenery over and over, time and time again. It was one grand bore for her.
Though Annie would never admit it aloud, nor would she plead for this to come about, she did quite like having the opportunity to talk about her work. It was most likely a bore to most of those in a conversation with her, but Theo had brought it up again, so why not take a brief moment to touch on it? She did, however, give a quick roll of her eyes, slumping her posture for a second as if utterly defeated.
"I am horrid at up-close portraits, so I feel avoiding that is most likely a safe option," she said. Sighing, she flapped her empty card once, flashing him the empty side of it.
"I might very well scribble down something every time I find something distasteful and call that my work of art." She was joking, of course, for nobody would appreciate a blob of endless, chunky circles and spirals, but she really hadn't thought much about the art. Or, perhaps it was that she had thought
so much about it that she had gotten nowhere. She rolled her shoulders back and tucked her card away, suggesting her teasing side was to be temporarily cooled down.
"I have yet to decide what I want. I heard there is a beautiful dock and gazebo overlooking the lake that divides Nearon and Arkley. Now that we have access to it, I may take a trip down there and set my canvas up." Her small, near-silent sigh was almost dreamy-like, but the blast of fresh music that shot her way was quick to take her out of her daze. She gave a simple wave of her hand,
"Oh, but enough chat of myself! Surely you have some intentions whilst spending your days here, hm?" Her eyes lit up cheekily.
"I am most positive your fellow fancy business lads are mocking your freedom, no?" Her tone was sarcastic, for he had voiced his dislike for the strict, money-driven men multiple times, but she was not oblivious to the talk of marriage come to twenty and plus years of living. That especially went to Theo's situation, for he was undoubtedlyone of the younger, unwed men amongst the high-end group.
"Let me help you! I am sure I can find you the prettiest bride here. That would take your mind away from your stressful work load, I am sure of it."──────
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♚title: the ghost xx♚wealth: fivexx♚kingdom: arkleyxx♚tags: louiseThe dark-haired woman gave off a different sense of energy than what Lauren had often found himself involved in. Although he was not the type to often head to a bar for a drink or saunter into a large gathering, it was nearly impossible to avoid as a Shaw, and so Lauren had met a decent handful of different types of feminine personalities. Although he hadn't said much to the one to his left, he took she was more independent than a lot of the Arkley women, but in a modest and composed way. Some independent women were very much anti-men, and the way they stuck their noses to the sky and cascaded their bitter, salty words indicated they were not to be messed with. Lauren found it nothing more than entertaining, for their attitude was complete rubbish, but he hadn't ever said anything to them. That did not mean he treated them like royalty to gain their undeniable love and affection. He'd seen one too many men do such a thing. But this lady was different. She seemed to be herself, and although Lauren knew absolutely nothing about her, she just seemed to be the type who would be true to herself. She hadn't changed her posture, apart from the brief curtsy, and her words were straight to the point. There was no twirl of the hair or batted lashes, yet it didn't feel like complete business talk, either. It was a nice change.
He was momentarily caught off guard as the woman introduced herself as simply Louise. There was no surname to follow, or a grand title, or anything along those lines. Lauren knew the dress she wore was not something she purchased off of a sidestreet set-up; red was bold, a colour that was meant for those around to know that she was not to be messed with. He was hesitant to even roll the name over silently in his mind. Calling a woman by their first name, unless they were considered to be an official friend or one that shared the same bloodline, was a step towards an intimate relation, and Lauren was doing his absolute best to avoid that. Though he knew calling the woman Louise meant nothing to either of them, for that was purely how she introduced herself as, his subconscious fears still lingered in the back of his mind. He was not to get too close to anyone. On the contrary, though, it gave Lauren every reason to safely avoid using the name he had come to hate.
"If you are most comfortable with first names, I go by Lauren," he responded a moment later.
"Pleasure, Miss Louise."He let his gaze travel once again for a brief moment, eyes jumping from pair to pair as they danced along the shimmery ballroom floor.
"Rooms like this are often filled with skilamalinks," he muttered, practically spitting the word out harshly, despite the mellow look cast upon his features.
"Secretive folks who have nothing better to do than snoop around a room filled with jewels and fancy decor; avarice-hungered figures. Those and the types that eat up the attention like it is they who own the ballroom. Rather unpleasing, really." All of it was, in bitter truth, but Lauren wasn't yet sure how into events like this the young lady was. Evidently, she wasn't nearly as engaged as some, but one could never know for sure. Lauren wasn't one to sugarcoat his words, but he didn't like openly offending anyone, either. Sighing through his nose, he turned his body ever-so-slightly back towards her.
"Pardon my negativity, if it is at all offensive. Where are you from, miss?"──────
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♢title: the anthurium xx♢wealth: threexx♢kingdom: nearonxx♢tags: danielThe deeper Elliott settled into the stern silence between the two, the more awkward he began to feel. Too cautious not to somehow manage to creepily force all of his attention onto the near-stranger, Elliott could feel his mind slowly turning, working its way into the overthinking side of things. He shifted his weight from foot to foot, staring heavily down at the perfectly polished floor beneath his old shoes. Although he knew this was not the case, the uncertainly in terms of where exactly the majority of his focus should be made him feel extra sensitive, half-heartedly fretting as if there were a dozen pairs of eyes on his person. Not even Mr. Bishop's eyes were settled in his direction, so Elliott knew he had little to worry about, but he couldn't help it. His mind was a wonderful thing, his brain extraordinary, but it did god awful tricks that really messed with him. His father had always joked that that happened because of Elliott's brilliance. His mother always found a new task to settle out his anxiousness. Unfortunately, that wasn't applicable to the current situation. Elliott couldn't head elsewhere, for that would contribute to the lack of manners he despised seeking in other people. Furthermore, he was involved in something already. It was slow-paced and went about without the flavour Elliott needed to push forward, but it was still something. It was odd, though. Elliott liked quiet people, but things felt different right about now. Perhaps that was because his town was filled with tranquil energy- things were constantly running, but gently and smoothly. Here, although the conversation held that gentleness Elliott knew within his borders of his town, the "constant running" seemed to be the endless movement around them, and it was a bit overwhelming. The eye of the hurricane, Elliott and Daniel were, without the disaster that erupted because of them.
Elliott's mind kept tracing back to his family, his safe spot. He most certainly felt like he was sticking out here, and it wasn't because of his style, or his overall appearance. The manners seemed different, the energy was unfamiliar and chilly. It was lively and thrilling, but difficult to take in all at the same time. Elliott felt it was a bit more difficult to settle in the chaos than his mother had told him. It wasn't to say Elliott did not appreciate the goofy grins and candle-lit eyes, for he had always found the human being simply fascinating, and picking up on every piece of emotion was a joyful game to play at, but it was different. That was all he could describe it as. He hoped the following days spent at the Onryx were a bit more laid-back. Elliott hadn't ever imagined he'd feel homesick.
"Ah," came from his lips as Daniel's voice drew him back in. Though Elliott figured Daniel was just as aware that everyone of all sorts of families and richness was here as the Eudora family was, he wished to avoid judgment. He was here to enjoy himself, not to have been made fun of.
"I live in Nearon, in a quaint town just outside of Kinsbery." Kinsbery was not the largest town Nearon had, but it was just as vivacious as the party itself. It was a well-known name, and Elliott was sure Daniel Bishop, a Nearon citizen or not, would know of it.
"Twas a bit of a long carriage ride, but nothing unbearable." A hum of a laugh struck out at that, and Elliott quickly circled his wrist in Daniel's direction to rid any potential awkwardness.
"Yourself, sir? Do you come from a town nearby?"
