11 replies to this topic

[Emilia Hasting]

Emilia eyed her reflection the mirror as the tailor stuck her gown with pins and took measurements. She tried to focus on the fall of the fabric in her skirts, and the fit of the bodice--if this gown was going to be worn to the Elariel ball of all places, it was important that it fit perfectly--but she could not quite keep herself from being distracted by thinking about the visitor she was expecting when she was done with the gown. She had done what she could to find some information about the dagger that would not harm Hasting, and would also serve Winston's purposes. Indeed, if things went according to plan, what she told Winston might even help repair relations between their houses. What was truly making her nervous was what Winston might be willing to tell her in exchange.

"The top feels loose," she commented to the tailor. "Perhaps it could be tightened?" She and Anabelle had once overheard Ferrah telling Colette and the others that Emilia had the chest of a young boy. Anabelle had tried to reassure her that Ferrah was just saying that because she was self-conscious about her own bust, but since then Emilia had been a little more nervous about the tops of her gowns fitting properly.

The tailor continued her work, moving on to waist and chest area with barely a pause. "Such a tiny waist, milady, your figure will be most striking when all is said and done. We'll be sure to emphasize that of course." Emilia tuned out the rest of the woman's comments, trying once again to look at the dress as a whole. It was a lovely thing, made of a deep purple fabric that had a hint of shine to it. Emilia could hardly wait to see how it would glimmer in the unique lighting of the Elariel ballroom. Perhaps I'll even get the chance to try it out on the dance floor.

The tailor finished up her work, and Emilia changed back into her day gown, a cream piece with simple embroidery on the hem of the skirts, and on the sleeves and bodice, and pinned up her hair with an ornate gold hair clip. After exiting the dressing room, she nodded to her tailor, told her she'd send someone by to pick up the gown in the following days, and prepared to go on her way, hoping for and dreading the fact that she might run into Winston at any moment.

[Winston Elariel]

Winston made his way down Kenton Street, keeping an eye on the people around him. He made mental notes attempting to keep track of the different faces to see if later on he could pick out any repeat faces.

The bag boy that he had hired earlier ran about in plain livery half a block back. He was also running various errands that had been set for him. It was a very nice coincidence that the boy had errands to run on Kenton and Old Wall Street, in preparation for getting supplies for the Elariel Ball. He had paid the boy to also follow himself to see if there were any others that were following. It would also serve to see if Emilia would notice such a tail.

He found Lan's Shop, a sign identifying it from the rest of the store fronts on the street. Looking in through the storefront windows he saw that Emilia was waiting inside, ostensibly done with her fitting. He opened the door, briefly surveying the people in the shop and making sure not to let his gaze linger on Emilia. Instead he approached the shopkeeper.

"I'm here to peruse your selection of styles for men's blazers and cravats for around the collar." Winston told the skaa behind the counter. As the skaa was about to reply Winston cut them off. "Only the tails and the cravat. I have the other parts that I need already."

Edited by Lanscaper, 21 February 2014 - 07:59 PM.

[Emilia Hasting]

Emilia saw Winston before he entered the shop, but took care to keep any hint of reaction hidden. He had criticized her for giving too much away with her body language, and though she felt petty admitting it to herself, she wanted to prove herself to him. She continued to gaze at some of the other dresses, wondering if one of them would find their way into her closet for a future ball. She already had an older gown selected for the Perrault ball that night, and would be wearing the shimmering purple one for the upcoming Elariel ball of course. As for the Fathvell ball after that, she was down to a shortlist, but had not quite decided which she would end up choosing, and was waiting to see what other people were wearing to the events in between before deciding.

She looked up when Winston made his order, as if discovering his appearance only after hearing his voice.

"Why Lord Winston," she said with a smile, "Fancy seeing you here. Are you certain you wish to shop for a blazer only? While cravats can be mixed and matched, my understanding is that it is in poor taste to buy a jacket without matching trousers." A cravat could be chosen quickly, and then they could be on their way, talking while they walked, but if Winston started trying on blazers, the tailors would likely insist on taking measurements.

[Winston Elariel]

Winston turned at the sound of the voice of Emilia voice. "Lady Emilia," Winston responded in greeting, "it is a pleasure to see you again." As he responded he allowed himself to take a look at her.

She was wearing a cream colored day dress, well fit to her figure. The embroidery was simple, but accented against the cream color of the dress. It matched well with the golden hair clip that he could see gleaming slightly in the light of the shop window. With her hair up and the cut of the dress it allowed him to see her neck and neckline more clearly, clear sight lines to the arteries lying below the surface, with tin her pulse may be visible.Winston wished that he could burn tin but that wouldn't be till this evening when he was in the company of young Lorena.

He looked around her, and saw that she didn't have anything about her, no parasol to protect her light colored dress from the Ashfalls. Of course he hadn't brought one with him either as he had taken the carriage most of the way here. There hadn't been any Ashfalls recently, so surely there would be another one soon. Perhaps they would need to borrow or purchase one later, or wait out an Ashfall in another shop. The ticking of the pocketwatch in his front pocket reminded him that he needed to say something more.

"I was intending to take a look at the styles of blazers, and perhaps tails, that this shop had to offer. I had inquired about which shops were most fashionable and I intend to view their wares and weigh my options. It would not do for me to misrepresent my House or myself as out of date."

Winston paused considering whether to make the pretense of their conversation that he would ask her opinions and advice. It was different than the pretense that he had planned, but thinking more on it it would work possibly better than what he had thought of previously.

"As I am new to Luthadel, perhaps you would do me the great honor of instructing me in some of the recent fashions?" Winston lowered his tone slightly as to not let the shopkeeper overhear, "It would put me in your debt to have your opinion on these matters, as opposed to biased shopkeepers."

Edited by Lanscaper, 24 February 2014 - 09:58 PM.

[Emilia Hasting]

"I'm hardly an expert," Emilia said carefully, looking around the store. She wasn't certain why, but Winston's gaze made her distinctly uncomfortable. It was just so intense, like he was trying to bore through her with his eyes to find the secrets hidden within. Idly, she wondered if he was burning tin, and had to stop herself from doing the same.

"In all honesty," she continued, drawing closer and keeping her voice low so the shopkeepers could not hear, "Lan's is more of a dress shop than anything else. Their gowns are to die for, Lady Mia Casuana herself was wearing one of their designs to the Casuana ball last week, but from what I hear from my male relatives, their selection of menswear is lacking in comparison." Emilia turned and gazed at the window, itching to get outside. The skaa girl who was carrying her bags sat across the street, Emilia's parasol a few packages in hand. Unfortunately, she didn't trust the girl, and would have to send her home once she and Winston began speaking. Luckily, Emilia already had an excuse in mind.

"Whyte and Black's across the street is known for a wide selection and clean and classic cuts, if that's what you are interested in. It's just down the street."

[Winston Elariel]

"That sounds promising, Lady Emilia" Winston replied noncommittally. He had watched her gaze where is had lingered on a skaa girl outside, presumably an errand girl or some such. Gauging her expression she wanted to leave this shop, and he would have to oblige her on that, as the main purpose of their meeting was to converse in private, or the relative privacy that they would have on a busy street Winston mentally amended.

He turned to see that the skaa that he had instructed to fetch some styles was carrying out a rather small pile from the back. Whether or not this particular shop had more to offer he would have to find out at another time. He quickly approached the skaa, who was in the midst of arranging the men's tails on a rack for display.

Taking a cursory glance Winston told the skaa, "It appears that you do not have the style that I have in mind. You may set those back." Without waiting for a reply he started walking out the door, presuming that Emilia would make her own excuses and follow in her own time.

He walked out and waited a few shops away checking his pocket watch and keeping himself from being too out of place.

[Emilia Hasting]

As Winston exited the shop, Emilia smiled apologetically to the skaa, and exited the shop with a single last glance at the various wares. As she exited the shop, she looked both ways as she crossed the street to where her skaa was waiting.

"You may return those parcels to the keep," she said, her tone kind but commanding. "I've just remembered I have a library book that must be returned to the Canton of Doctrine library, so once you've dropped off my things, you can return it for me. It should be set out on the in my entryway" The book in question was the one about allomancy that the mysterious note had led Emilia to. Having already taken notes on the contents of the book, including some hastily scribbled margin notes in a hand Emilia did not recognize, she had placed a note of her own between the pages, in the hopes that whoever had led her to the book would find it. It was a long shot, but unless Winston could help her uncover more, it was the best she had at the moment. "You do know how to get to the library from the keep, don't you?"

The skaa nodded politely, and handed Emilia her parasol. "The book needs to be returned this afternoon, so make sure you get there quickly." The skaa only bowed, and went on her way. Such a quiet thing. The girl, Frienne, had been in Emilia's service for the passed few months, but Emilia could count on one hand the number of words she had spoken to her. Of course, that suited Emilia just fine, as long as the girl's tongue didn't become more loose when Emilia wasn't around.

Once the girl was gone, Emilia opened her parasol, and strolled idly over to where Winston was checking his pocket watch. "Might I ask the time, Lord Winston?" she asked with a small smile. "Apparently I have an appointment with a young gentleman and I would hate to be late."

[Winston Elariel]

The irony of Emilia's question was lost upon Winston. Rather he replied straightforwardly, mentally tying in that she had an appointment that was after him. Perhaps he would be able to follow her and get details later depending on how this went. "Lady Emilia, we are currently an hour and eight away from noon."

Winston subtly gestured for her to take the lead, keeping himself as a respectable distance. "If you would lead the way, as I am at a loss as to where Whyte and Black's is."

While he had been waiting he had spotted the bag boy farther down the street. Apparently the boy had had some experience in tailing people as Winston barely noticed him in his peripheral sweeps for tails. Winston kept his ears trained on Emilia, while his eyes slowly roved and searched through the crowds his every busy mind keeping track of the numerous faces of skaa and nobility alike, with a singular Terrisman wading through the crowds a head taller than most others in distinctive robes.

Edited by Lanscaper, 29 April 2014 - 06:40 PM.

[Emilia Hasting]

Emilia stifled a frown as Winston didn't seem to catch the joke. He certainly wasn't simple, their earlier conversation had proven an almost uncanny level of perception, but he was certainly socially awkward. How could someone who could read a minute twitch of lip or eye be utterly oblivious to sarcasm?

"Just this way." She decided to ignore his slip, and kept her voice cool and controlled, utilizing the poker face her mother had trained and Anabelle had tested. Gesturing, Emilia began to move down the street, hoping Winston would understand he was supposed to keep pace.

[Winston Elariel]

Winston followed Emilia's lead, taking a few extra steps to catch up to her side, yet maintaining a reasonable distance between the two of them. Close enough to hear her through the crowd, but far enough that it would not be seen as improper. That would reflect poorly upon House Elariel. He used his peripheral vision to keep track of her and the direction that she was headed.

Winston's experience with field-work of this nature was limited. Rather the bulk of his experience was spent figuring out what other field agents were saying, or trailing assets through the far less busy streets of Tremredare. The difference between his home town and Luthadel was vastly striking seeing the lengths of busy streets that he had already traversed these past days.

He spoke to Emilia in a voice that he was guessing would be just loud enough for her to hear, while making it difficult for unwanted ears to listen in on the conversation. Again he did not make eye contact with Emilia, but was rather scanning the crowd and using his peripheral vision to gauge her reactions and emotional state.

"Lady Emilia, thank you for meeting me today. Would you like to start or shall I?"

[Emilia Hasting]

"I suppose you can begin," Emilia said, keeping her tone neutral. Her mother had lectured her at length on the advantages and disadvantages of making the first move in a situation like this, and Emilia hoped she was making the right decision. With his no-nonsense attitude, it seemed like Winston would be difficult to bully or intimidate, and she couldn't think of how she could use her presentation of the information she had gathered to manipulate him into giving more away. While letting him go first might allow him to establish control of the conversation, she hoped the way she had worded her reply made it seem like she was still making a decision, rather than letting him take over. Regardless of who controlled the proceedings, at the very least letting Winston speak first could give Emilia a chance to learn more about him, and give her some clue as to what his hidden motives in approaching her might be.

[Winston Elariel]

Winston took a couple moments to collect himself, and remember where they were in their conversation yesterday in Ahlstrom Square. As his focus went to delve his memory, he felt his eyes unfocus and he forced himself to blink bringing himself back to the present. He took a breath to settle himself, hand in pocket absently fiddling with his pocketwatch.

"Thank you Lady Emilia," Winston started, as he realized that she hadn't told him what information she wanted explicitly, he had guesses since she mentioned that her inquiry was personal in nature. But that was conjecture, and in the past couple days his conjectures about people were not proving as reliable as in Tremredare.

He turned his gaze a bit more purposefully towards Emilia, ceasing to scan the crowd, "I realize that our conversation yesterday was cut short and you weren't quite able to ask what you may have wanted from me." He paused to gauge her reaction.

"Perhaps we should start off with what you desire to know."