After perhaps the most restful sleep in recent memory, Coatleque was politely woken the next morning by the most attentive retainer she had ever met. Clothes had already been laid out for her and the blinds drawn back to allow the morning sun to warm the room. She spoke very little as she was still in mild shock at being pampered so, and soon she was dressed in an elegant blue and white affair with silver trimmings.
She was then led through the house back to the ground floor and off to a private veranda overlooking the gardens. A table had been set there with placements for four and trays of different flavored pastries with fresh cut fruit and tea. It was clear though that she was the first to arrive as nobody had been seated yet. In fact, there was only one other present in the room whom she had not seen before. A drab little mousy woman wearing a baleful expression. She thanked her attendant who bowed politely and left them, closing the door quietly behind.
Coatleque stood to the side at first to take in her surroundings and admire the scenery. The other woman looked up briefly from the notebook and quill she carried and watched her for a moment without offering any sort of greeting, then went back to her writing in silence. The scribbling of her quill in short, frantic motions easily overpowered the quiet of the morning and bringing forth a vague anxiety in the knight. Her eyes fell upon the woman and she made her best attempt to feign prior ignorance of her presence. "Oh, good morning. You have not seen Lady Eglantine yet have you?"
The woman's writing ceased just long enough for her to look up over the edge of her book. "No." She murmured before returning to her generous note taking.
"I see." Coatleque replied in barely a whisper as her eyes fell away to the side. She turned to look at something else in an attempt at keeping busy for the moment. When the silence became awkward enough she made a second attempt at conversation.
"Apologies, but are you another guest?"
Again she stopped to peer at the woman annoyedly over her book. "I am not sure." Then back to her writing. She turned to examine the table itself now and appeared to be sketching the food.
"Not su...," Came her reply before cutting herself off in amusement. "Well do you live here?"
The woman only shook her head.
Coatleque rolled her eyes ever so slowly to the side before turning away again. This time she found herself staring nervously at a painting of the Admiral suspended over a fireplace. Between her coal-like eyes and the sound of the quill she could not help but feel as though she were being watched. She sighed and turned back to the other woman.
"Well if you do not live here, then you must be a guest of some sort."
At that point the other woman turned to face her now and began taking her notes again. Coatleque stood dumbfounded. "Yes. That does hold logic." Came the reply eventually. "I am not certain of the levels of guestitude."
Coatleque sighed and nearly turned away again till her eyes fell upon the trays of food and an embarrassing growl emanated from her midsection. Slowly she made her way to the table, choosing to take a seat and wait patiently for whoever else may arrive. She drummed her fingers idly upon the table. It was not long after that Edda made her appearance to join them. She looked back at the barely noticeable sound of the door opening. "Lady Eglantine, good morning to you."
Edda smiled lightly. "Yes, good morning." She turned then to the drab little woman who had yet to take her own seat and gave a curt nod. The woman said nothing, merely continuing her frantic scribbling. "Are you hungry?" She asked as she moved to the table herself. "Please, help yourself."
"Thank you. I did not want to appear rude after all."
Edda shook her head and took her own seat. "Not at all. That is what it is here for." She helped herself to some tea before beginning to fill her plate with an assortment of pastries and fruits. Coatleque in the mean time also went about filling her own plate with a small sample of nearly everything. As she settled back down she could not help but notice the third woman staring at her. A glance that prompted even more note taking.
Edda seemingly ignored her though, which seemed odd. She turned to Coatleque with a smile. "How did you sleep?"
"Better than I have in some time." She admitted.
"That is good to hear."
The woman with the quill continued to document everything. She paused only to watch the cups of tea being filled, the choices of food each woman made. Every bite that was taken. Edda looked down to her plate and hesitated. By all means she should have been hungry, but she did not eat. Coatleque on the other hand could not help herself. She slowly sipped at her tea while eyeing the woman across the table. More scratches.
"I imagine you slept just as well?" She finally ventured to ask, trying to keep the conversation flowing.
"I always do." Edda replied with a rather wan smile. She no longer seemed to be looking at the knight, but past her.
The sound of writing was finally too much to bear and Coatleque stopped eating, almost dropping the fork to her plate. "I cannot help but feel I am being tested... I pray my etiquette is satisfactory?" She peered at Edda with searching eyes. This was all quite odd to her, and growing more queer by the minute. Especially when the woman retrieved some sort of cracker from her pockets and began chewing on it rather than joining them.
"Tested?" Edda looked up with brows raised. "Nonsense. You are quite fine. Certainly a fine choice compared to most I would think to invite here."
"Well... mayhaps you will invite more now..."
Her words were cut off by the sound of the door opening and closing softly. "I hope I am not too late." came a familiar voice behind her. Coatleque's eyes went wide in a mixture of fear and astonishment and she stood immediately, nearly spilling her tea in the process. She spun around to face the newcomer. Her mouth opening and closing once or twice. "J-James," she finally stammered.
She was then led through the house back to the ground floor and off to a private veranda overlooking the gardens. A table had been set there with placements for four and trays of different flavored pastries with fresh cut fruit and tea. It was clear though that she was the first to arrive as nobody had been seated yet. In fact, there was only one other present in the room whom she had not seen before. A drab little mousy woman wearing a baleful expression. She thanked her attendant who bowed politely and left them, closing the door quietly behind.
Coatleque stood to the side at first to take in her surroundings and admire the scenery. The other woman looked up briefly from the notebook and quill she carried and watched her for a moment without offering any sort of greeting, then went back to her writing in silence. The scribbling of her quill in short, frantic motions easily overpowered the quiet of the morning and bringing forth a vague anxiety in the knight. Her eyes fell upon the woman and she made her best attempt to feign prior ignorance of her presence. "Oh, good morning. You have not seen Lady Eglantine yet have you?"
The woman's writing ceased just long enough for her to look up over the edge of her book. "No." She murmured before returning to her generous note taking.
"I see." Coatleque replied in barely a whisper as her eyes fell away to the side. She turned to look at something else in an attempt at keeping busy for the moment. When the silence became awkward enough she made a second attempt at conversation.
"Apologies, but are you another guest?"
Again she stopped to peer at the woman annoyedly over her book. "I am not sure." Then back to her writing. She turned to examine the table itself now and appeared to be sketching the food.
"Not su...," Came her reply before cutting herself off in amusement. "Well do you live here?"
The woman only shook her head.
Coatleque rolled her eyes ever so slowly to the side before turning away again. This time she found herself staring nervously at a painting of the Admiral suspended over a fireplace. Between her coal-like eyes and the sound of the quill she could not help but feel as though she were being watched. She sighed and turned back to the other woman.
"Well if you do not live here, then you must be a guest of some sort."
At that point the other woman turned to face her now and began taking her notes again. Coatleque stood dumbfounded. "Yes. That does hold logic." Came the reply eventually. "I am not certain of the levels of guestitude."
Coatleque sighed and nearly turned away again till her eyes fell upon the trays of food and an embarrassing growl emanated from her midsection. Slowly she made her way to the table, choosing to take a seat and wait patiently for whoever else may arrive. She drummed her fingers idly upon the table. It was not long after that Edda made her appearance to join them. She looked back at the barely noticeable sound of the door opening. "Lady Eglantine, good morning to you."
Edda smiled lightly. "Yes, good morning." She turned then to the drab little woman who had yet to take her own seat and gave a curt nod. The woman said nothing, merely continuing her frantic scribbling. "Are you hungry?" She asked as she moved to the table herself. "Please, help yourself."
"Thank you. I did not want to appear rude after all."
Edda shook her head and took her own seat. "Not at all. That is what it is here for." She helped herself to some tea before beginning to fill her plate with an assortment of pastries and fruits. Coatleque in the mean time also went about filling her own plate with a small sample of nearly everything. As she settled back down she could not help but notice the third woman staring at her. A glance that prompted even more note taking.
Edda seemingly ignored her though, which seemed odd. She turned to Coatleque with a smile. "How did you sleep?"
"Better than I have in some time." She admitted.
"That is good to hear."
The woman with the quill continued to document everything. She paused only to watch the cups of tea being filled, the choices of food each woman made. Every bite that was taken. Edda looked down to her plate and hesitated. By all means she should have been hungry, but she did not eat. Coatleque on the other hand could not help herself. She slowly sipped at her tea while eyeing the woman across the table. More scratches.
"I imagine you slept just as well?" She finally ventured to ask, trying to keep the conversation flowing.
"I always do." Edda replied with a rather wan smile. She no longer seemed to be looking at the knight, but past her.
The sound of writing was finally too much to bear and Coatleque stopped eating, almost dropping the fork to her plate. "I cannot help but feel I am being tested... I pray my etiquette is satisfactory?" She peered at Edda with searching eyes. This was all quite odd to her, and growing more queer by the minute. Especially when the woman retrieved some sort of cracker from her pockets and began chewing on it rather than joining them.
"Tested?" Edda looked up with brows raised. "Nonsense. You are quite fine. Certainly a fine choice compared to most I would think to invite here."
"Well... mayhaps you will invite more now..."
Her words were cut off by the sound of the door opening and closing softly. "I hope I am not too late." came a familiar voice behind her. Coatleque's eyes went wide in a mixture of fear and astonishment and she stood immediately, nearly spilling her tea in the process. She spun around to face the newcomer. Her mouth opening and closing once or twice. "J-James," she finally stammered.
