Post by Adelaide d'Aquitaine on Apr 3, 2009 19:13:16 GMT -6
Ada: It was a lovely bright day, and Ada could not have been happier. She sang as she tossed stones from her garden, working her way from one corner to the other. It was quaint to call it her garden, considering the entire parcel of land she shared with the neighbor was now boxed off and plotted out between herbs and vegetables. And each and every inch of that garden had a stone that needed to be moved. She preferred her endless battle with cobwebs and dust! She needed a break, so she went inside, washed up, and decided to take a tour of her lane once again. The nearby shopkeepers were all interesting sorts, and she liked stopping in to chat for a bit while she delayed setting up her own store. Her inventory could stand another day or two in boxes. She made a quick stop into the Briar Rose, and then continued on her way, completely oblivious to the cobwebs in her hair and the dust streaking her dark skirts. Thank goodness she had washed her hands, because dirt under the fingernails would take quixotic absentmindedness to a completely new level of strangeness.
Nate: The events of the near-death experience had a monetary toll as much as it had a toll on poor Nate's own sanity--he had managed to lose (another!) inkwell, and still hadn't gotten around to replacing the clothes ruined by the Mother from the child's day events. this is what brought the finely coiffed Brit into the light of day, mulling between shops to pick up various odds and ends. Oh but there was so much to buy! poor Nathan was going to have to put in extra days to make up for all the surprising expenditure, for sad fact was that though Scholarly work demanded the look of the Nobleman, being a Book-keeper in a Courtesan house and assistant only got you so far. Old Nathan was lamenting said fate when, passing on the street he came to a familiar face, though her counterance was... anything but. Quite the contrary, he had to stare for a good moment to even recognize her! Far removed from the pleasant (if quaint) Frenchwoman, this one looked to be scrabbling around in the dirt. "Uh.. Miss.. Ada?" perhaps the woman had taken a recent tumble and was wandering around in some kind of daze, poor dear. why, the British Scholar barely knew what to think!
Ada: She looked to be scrabbling around in the dirt because she often was. It was a danger of the profession. Though she was humming quietly to herself as she investigated a copper pot hanging from a nearby stall, she heard the Englishman's voice and turned around slowly. She was too refined to look like a gypsy, for even with the smears of dust and dirt, and the gray in her hair owing to a battle lost with the cobwebs, her clothes were new and her posture was elegant, like a dancer's. She even had a peculiarly clean scent to her, of crushed herbs and a dash of cedar. "Ah, the bookkeeper. May I help you?" she asked, as if she were in her shop and not standing among the copper pots on the tinker's wagon. She frowned when he was not as quick to reply as she would have liked, and fished a posey from her pocket. Just a few sprigs of herbs tied together with a white ribbon, she held it out for him to take. "Rosemary rejuvenates the spirit and quickens the mind. Betony is a ward against witches. And mint simply smells nice." When he was slow to take that, Ada made an entirely Gallic noise of displeasure, reached forward, and tucked the little posey into Nathan's shirt, then patted it firmly into place. He was a little odd, was he not? It wasn't just her? She arched an inquiring brow at the tinker selling the copper pots, but the man merely shrugged. She put him in a rough spot, and neither of them were buying his wares!
Nate: "Uh.. No... are you?" The Scholar continued to stare, puzzled at the woman who just a day ago was at least decently adorned now looking like some kind of vague street urchin in cleanliness, though she still carried herself with a poise almost comically at odds with her attire! "I was just... Are you...?" it was terribly impolite to ask if she was alright--or had gone mad, in turn, but the concern was at least evident. She was so comically untroubled by it that when she suddenly withdrew a few sprigs of plant, practically making him jump with the sudden motion. The explanation to what it was, well... she might as well have been speaking a foreign tongue entirely. The final statement, Mint, cokeed a brow and made him sort of shy away, his expression plainly read as you don't expect me to touch that, do you? before she apparently decided to settle it in there--oh lord, there was still dirt on it! unable to remove it without offending with her, he'd fidget with the thing in his vest pocket. "Oh... oh...Uh, yes, thank you." Said entirely too quickly. Perhaps going mad was arriving to the conclusion a little late. "Uhh, whattt are you doing?" he desperately tried to get back on the course of delight with indecent haste.
Ada: "Oh dear," Ada murmured thoughtfully. People weren't supposed to hop away when you tried to help them. She canted her head thoughtfully, narrowed her gaze ever so slightly as she studied him, and then shook her head. "I thought you could use a bit of help, and I am told, women are quite fond of a nice-smelling gentleman." She was polite enough not to lean in and take a sniff for herself, of course. For a village woman from a tiny town in the south of France, she had impeccable manners. "You're welcome," she said at last, taking a graceful step back, with a slight turn, so that she was now at the end of the cart, where she could study a large basin. She picked it up. "Whatever would I use it for?" she wondered, and then set it back down where it clanged against the neighbors, causing the tinker to shudder. "Am I what, Mister Renquest? Come on, out with it." Just as she gestured for him to speak, she caught a glimpse of something not quite right in her reflection. Was that -- Oh, sweet heavens -- She screamed as if under sudden and violent attack and jumped back from the cart as if she'd been bitten, her hands waving in the direction of her hair, where a rather cute little spider was making its way down from her curls and onto her neck.
Nate: "Are you...?" the question was broached, however tentatively, again when the woman suddenly cried out in alarm--and well that did it. Nate practically jumped back and swung an arm wide, knocking an armful of pots to the ground with a series of metallic clattering that made the whole scene worse. Several heads turned, a few looking at Nathan as if to wonder just what the hell he had done to illicit such a scream, though others just watched as the young woman suddenly flailed about to try. "What, what!?" The culprit was spotted amidst her flailing and Nate barely suppressed a shudder. Oh how he hated the wretched things, but he was scarcely about to let the poor woman injure herself trying (and failing spectacularly, it must be said) to fend off the eight legged fiend "Calm-down, calm-down, hold... still!" Feeling only faintly embarrassed about having to reach up and actually touch her neck! (Oh what scandal!) he reached an arm firm to hold her shoulder while extending a single finger out along the arachnid's path, which acted momentarily befuddled before deciding it simply didn't notice the terrain and clambering onto it. It seemed very brave and dashing to do, so he was thankful that the fact he was horrified by the sensation of its tiny legs on his fingertips show. "There, you see? Just a harmless little spider." In her hair... by now the Shopkeeper was glaring daggers at the two--not buying anything was one thing, trashing his stall quite another.
Ada: Ada wasn't afraid of spiders in theory. They did a world of good outside her shop by eating pesky bugs who would destroy her plants. But inside the shop, they had a tendency to not only leave their webs everywhere she looked, but they liked to drop down on unsuspecting heads. And when one was creepy-crawling its way onto her neck, theory went out the window. She forced herself to hold still while Nate plucked the thing off of her. "I am so sorry, Mister Renquest. And so grateful! He is rather interesting, no?" She wasn't going to peer any closer at the thing, and thankfully, they were both spared from whatever she was about to say next by a loud throat-clearing from the cart owner. Ada smiled charmingly at the fellow, reached into her pocket, and held out a small bunch of herbs tied in a thin piece of white ribbon. "Posey?" she queried innocently. He promptly turned a very interesting shade of puce. Ada dropped the little bunch of herbs on the cart and slowly backed away from the overturned pots and pans. "Betony will prevent evil sp -- " Her voice was interrupted by a strange half-growl, half-shout from the cart owner, and Ada merely gave him a pained smile before dashing out of arm's reach. She grabbed Nate, too, and hurried down the street.
Nate: "Uh.. yes, yes interesting." in a tone that suggested quite the opposite, Nate hurried to flick the little thing away, who was not anymore bothered by this change of events than anything else, particularly since there was more pressing matters to contend with. Specifically, a very angry shop keeper. Nathan hardly even got the chance to apologize--the woman, completely oblivious to how irritated she was, offered another sprig of something before the shopkeeper chased them both out, dragged along by the strange little sprite of a woman, hoarse shouts following them until they were well out of earshot, leaving Nate breathless and red-faced. Oh lord, to have been dragged through all that! He felt absolutely terrible, and the sprig hardly helped with the sense of embarrassment! The scholar fixed her with an absolutely horrified expression. Lord, this woman was utterly, completely, insane!
Ada: She bowed her head and closed her eyes for a moment. It was a true look of contrition. "Mister Renquest. I am so sorry. I -- " she looked up at him. Yes, she looked up at everyone. Somehow, her height was never much a factor in these things, since she was often so full of energy and endless words, few people had the opportunity to notice much more about her. "That is my fault. You see, I have been cleaning out my shop since taking up residence, and I'm not tall enough to sweep the cobwebs out, and oh, goodness. What a mess." She studied him very carefully then. He didn't seem as incensed as the poor cart owner, but she hadn't really seen anyone look quite that mixture of exasperated and ... well, exasperated ever before. "Let me make it up to you? Where were you going? I could treat you to a cup of tea along the way."
Nate: At least she didn't have to look up far in her case, he was only a few inches taller than her at best. Still, he couldn't exactly begrudge the woman for being a klutz--they were kindred spirits in that, at least. "Oh, it was just... an accident, don't.." he waved it off between breaths, trying to forestall the meek embarrassment despite the fact he thought her completely absurd. The request however, well, he could try and evade that. "Oh I really couldn't. I mean, I appreciate the offer but I'm.. supplies and I wouldn't want... you know, keep you and.." he'd literally keep rambling off excuses until sh stopped him in one form or another. At least the sentiment was just as much not wanting to inconvenience her as feeling that she was clearly a bit of a frightening woman and he didn't want to go home with any more plants. "Thank you, though..."
Ada: "You are an odd man, Mister Renquest, but yes. I think you've had enough excitement today." She was admittedly a bit disappointed he wouldn't take her offer, but something was not quite right with the man. He was painfully shy, could never finish a sentence, and seemed to be afraid of some harmless kitchen herbs? "Well, I do hope we meet again soon. Take care of yourself, no?" The French were, as a people, far more giving than most cultures. Ada had not quite learned her lessons after her brief stay in London, for if she had, she would not have given his shoulder a slight pat. Then again, if she hadn't learned anything, she would have given him a quick air kiss to either side of the face and expected him to do the same! Thinking herself very reserved, she set off in another direction. She wanted to go back up the next street so as to avoid the tinker's cart. As she walked off, she batted at her skirts, which she suddenly noticed were not quite filthy, but had interesting dust-colored hand prints decorating the top half. She shot a look over her shoulder at where she had left the book keeper, but my goodness, what sort of man rescued a woman from a spider but didn't tell her she was covered in dust?
Nate: The events of the near-death experience had a monetary toll as much as it had a toll on poor Nate's own sanity--he had managed to lose (another!) inkwell, and still hadn't gotten around to replacing the clothes ruined by the Mother from the child's day events. this is what brought the finely coiffed Brit into the light of day, mulling between shops to pick up various odds and ends. Oh but there was so much to buy! poor Nathan was going to have to put in extra days to make up for all the surprising expenditure, for sad fact was that though Scholarly work demanded the look of the Nobleman, being a Book-keeper in a Courtesan house and assistant only got you so far. Old Nathan was lamenting said fate when, passing on the street he came to a familiar face, though her counterance was... anything but. Quite the contrary, he had to stare for a good moment to even recognize her! Far removed from the pleasant (if quaint) Frenchwoman, this one looked to be scrabbling around in the dirt. "Uh.. Miss.. Ada?" perhaps the woman had taken a recent tumble and was wandering around in some kind of daze, poor dear. why, the British Scholar barely knew what to think!
Ada: She looked to be scrabbling around in the dirt because she often was. It was a danger of the profession. Though she was humming quietly to herself as she investigated a copper pot hanging from a nearby stall, she heard the Englishman's voice and turned around slowly. She was too refined to look like a gypsy, for even with the smears of dust and dirt, and the gray in her hair owing to a battle lost with the cobwebs, her clothes were new and her posture was elegant, like a dancer's. She even had a peculiarly clean scent to her, of crushed herbs and a dash of cedar. "Ah, the bookkeeper. May I help you?" she asked, as if she were in her shop and not standing among the copper pots on the tinker's wagon. She frowned when he was not as quick to reply as she would have liked, and fished a posey from her pocket. Just a few sprigs of herbs tied together with a white ribbon, she held it out for him to take. "Rosemary rejuvenates the spirit and quickens the mind. Betony is a ward against witches. And mint simply smells nice." When he was slow to take that, Ada made an entirely Gallic noise of displeasure, reached forward, and tucked the little posey into Nathan's shirt, then patted it firmly into place. He was a little odd, was he not? It wasn't just her? She arched an inquiring brow at the tinker selling the copper pots, but the man merely shrugged. She put him in a rough spot, and neither of them were buying his wares!
Nate: "Uh.. No... are you?" The Scholar continued to stare, puzzled at the woman who just a day ago was at least decently adorned now looking like some kind of vague street urchin in cleanliness, though she still carried herself with a poise almost comically at odds with her attire! "I was just... Are you...?" it was terribly impolite to ask if she was alright--or had gone mad, in turn, but the concern was at least evident. She was so comically untroubled by it that when she suddenly withdrew a few sprigs of plant, practically making him jump with the sudden motion. The explanation to what it was, well... she might as well have been speaking a foreign tongue entirely. The final statement, Mint, cokeed a brow and made him sort of shy away, his expression plainly read as you don't expect me to touch that, do you? before she apparently decided to settle it in there--oh lord, there was still dirt on it! unable to remove it without offending with her, he'd fidget with the thing in his vest pocket. "Oh... oh...Uh, yes, thank you." Said entirely too quickly. Perhaps going mad was arriving to the conclusion a little late. "Uhh, whattt are you doing?" he desperately tried to get back on the course of delight with indecent haste.
Ada: "Oh dear," Ada murmured thoughtfully. People weren't supposed to hop away when you tried to help them. She canted her head thoughtfully, narrowed her gaze ever so slightly as she studied him, and then shook her head. "I thought you could use a bit of help, and I am told, women are quite fond of a nice-smelling gentleman." She was polite enough not to lean in and take a sniff for herself, of course. For a village woman from a tiny town in the south of France, she had impeccable manners. "You're welcome," she said at last, taking a graceful step back, with a slight turn, so that she was now at the end of the cart, where she could study a large basin. She picked it up. "Whatever would I use it for?" she wondered, and then set it back down where it clanged against the neighbors, causing the tinker to shudder. "Am I what, Mister Renquest? Come on, out with it." Just as she gestured for him to speak, she caught a glimpse of something not quite right in her reflection. Was that -- Oh, sweet heavens -- She screamed as if under sudden and violent attack and jumped back from the cart as if she'd been bitten, her hands waving in the direction of her hair, where a rather cute little spider was making its way down from her curls and onto her neck.
Nate: "Are you...?" the question was broached, however tentatively, again when the woman suddenly cried out in alarm--and well that did it. Nate practically jumped back and swung an arm wide, knocking an armful of pots to the ground with a series of metallic clattering that made the whole scene worse. Several heads turned, a few looking at Nathan as if to wonder just what the hell he had done to illicit such a scream, though others just watched as the young woman suddenly flailed about to try. "What, what!?" The culprit was spotted amidst her flailing and Nate barely suppressed a shudder. Oh how he hated the wretched things, but he was scarcely about to let the poor woman injure herself trying (and failing spectacularly, it must be said) to fend off the eight legged fiend "Calm-down, calm-down, hold... still!" Feeling only faintly embarrassed about having to reach up and actually touch her neck! (Oh what scandal!) he reached an arm firm to hold her shoulder while extending a single finger out along the arachnid's path, which acted momentarily befuddled before deciding it simply didn't notice the terrain and clambering onto it. It seemed very brave and dashing to do, so he was thankful that the fact he was horrified by the sensation of its tiny legs on his fingertips show. "There, you see? Just a harmless little spider." In her hair... by now the Shopkeeper was glaring daggers at the two--not buying anything was one thing, trashing his stall quite another.
Ada: Ada wasn't afraid of spiders in theory. They did a world of good outside her shop by eating pesky bugs who would destroy her plants. But inside the shop, they had a tendency to not only leave their webs everywhere she looked, but they liked to drop down on unsuspecting heads. And when one was creepy-crawling its way onto her neck, theory went out the window. She forced herself to hold still while Nate plucked the thing off of her. "I am so sorry, Mister Renquest. And so grateful! He is rather interesting, no?" She wasn't going to peer any closer at the thing, and thankfully, they were both spared from whatever she was about to say next by a loud throat-clearing from the cart owner. Ada smiled charmingly at the fellow, reached into her pocket, and held out a small bunch of herbs tied in a thin piece of white ribbon. "Posey?" she queried innocently. He promptly turned a very interesting shade of puce. Ada dropped the little bunch of herbs on the cart and slowly backed away from the overturned pots and pans. "Betony will prevent evil sp -- " Her voice was interrupted by a strange half-growl, half-shout from the cart owner, and Ada merely gave him a pained smile before dashing out of arm's reach. She grabbed Nate, too, and hurried down the street.
Nate: "Uh.. yes, yes interesting." in a tone that suggested quite the opposite, Nate hurried to flick the little thing away, who was not anymore bothered by this change of events than anything else, particularly since there was more pressing matters to contend with. Specifically, a very angry shop keeper. Nathan hardly even got the chance to apologize--the woman, completely oblivious to how irritated she was, offered another sprig of something before the shopkeeper chased them both out, dragged along by the strange little sprite of a woman, hoarse shouts following them until they were well out of earshot, leaving Nate breathless and red-faced. Oh lord, to have been dragged through all that! He felt absolutely terrible, and the sprig hardly helped with the sense of embarrassment! The scholar fixed her with an absolutely horrified expression. Lord, this woman was utterly, completely, insane!
Ada: She bowed her head and closed her eyes for a moment. It was a true look of contrition. "Mister Renquest. I am so sorry. I -- " she looked up at him. Yes, she looked up at everyone. Somehow, her height was never much a factor in these things, since she was often so full of energy and endless words, few people had the opportunity to notice much more about her. "That is my fault. You see, I have been cleaning out my shop since taking up residence, and I'm not tall enough to sweep the cobwebs out, and oh, goodness. What a mess." She studied him very carefully then. He didn't seem as incensed as the poor cart owner, but she hadn't really seen anyone look quite that mixture of exasperated and ... well, exasperated ever before. "Let me make it up to you? Where were you going? I could treat you to a cup of tea along the way."
Nate: At least she didn't have to look up far in her case, he was only a few inches taller than her at best. Still, he couldn't exactly begrudge the woman for being a klutz--they were kindred spirits in that, at least. "Oh, it was just... an accident, don't.." he waved it off between breaths, trying to forestall the meek embarrassment despite the fact he thought her completely absurd. The request however, well, he could try and evade that. "Oh I really couldn't. I mean, I appreciate the offer but I'm.. supplies and I wouldn't want... you know, keep you and.." he'd literally keep rambling off excuses until sh stopped him in one form or another. At least the sentiment was just as much not wanting to inconvenience her as feeling that she was clearly a bit of a frightening woman and he didn't want to go home with any more plants. "Thank you, though..."
Ada: "You are an odd man, Mister Renquest, but yes. I think you've had enough excitement today." She was admittedly a bit disappointed he wouldn't take her offer, but something was not quite right with the man. He was painfully shy, could never finish a sentence, and seemed to be afraid of some harmless kitchen herbs? "Well, I do hope we meet again soon. Take care of yourself, no?" The French were, as a people, far more giving than most cultures. Ada had not quite learned her lessons after her brief stay in London, for if she had, she would not have given his shoulder a slight pat. Then again, if she hadn't learned anything, she would have given him a quick air kiss to either side of the face and expected him to do the same! Thinking herself very reserved, she set off in another direction. She wanted to go back up the next street so as to avoid the tinker's cart. As she walked off, she batted at her skirts, which she suddenly noticed were not quite filthy, but had interesting dust-colored hand prints decorating the top half. She shot a look over her shoulder at where she had left the book keeper, but my goodness, what sort of man rescued a woman from a spider but didn't tell her she was covered in dust?
