[FIN] Cornered in the Garden (Alexei & Rosemarie)

[Nyx Argyros]

Time was, Alexei would spend all day cooped up inside, managing to go perhaps a full week without seeing the light of day unless someone forced him to go outside. Of late, such a feat was impossible. A certain dusky doe was to blame. What chosen could possibly abandon his guardian for days on end, even for so noble a pursuit as history and literature? So, instead of laboring away in the library, the young nobleman was outside in one of the city's numerous gardens, attempting to read one of Langley's histories. Attempting, because the aforementioned doe was most insistent that she receive proper attention.

Clearly, the simple act of being in her presence was not adequate when one considered the quality of her very existence. Oh, no. She deserved the undivided attention of her chosen whenever she desired it and at present, she was most unwilling to share his attention with a stack of paper. She set her glowing, blue eyes on that book and gave Alexei an ultimatum.

The young man's head shot up in alarm as he received a vivid pair of images. The first was of him petting the doe and the second was of the doe eating the pages of his book. Pulling the book farther from what he now clearly knew to be a threat to its continued existence, he frowned at the doe.

"Sumerki," he chastised, his Belastranan accent still quite evident despite the time he had spent in Sunderland. "You know I have to finish this."

The doe's ears flicked back and then forward and she sent him those same images again, a stubborn look in her eyes. A resigned sigh escaped his lips before he gave her a lop-sided smile. "Yes, yes. I concede. I will take a short break, but then I must finish."

For the time being, that was enough to satisfy the doe and she sidled a little closer so her chosen could rub that spot just behind her ear.  

[LoveByLetters]

It's even odds who shall notice their visitor first: Sumerki is turned towards the hedge, but if perhaps her eyes are closed in pleasure, it might be Alexei who first sees the pretty young thing. She prances out from beneath the hedge, all silver and grey -- a fluffy little kitten with a bow about her neck, trailing a ribbon behind her which was surely meant to be a leash. Meant to be, since no one's holding the other end of it now; clearly pleased with herself, the little thing wanders over and begins to sniff at Alexei's discarded book, pretending that she is not in the least interested in him. She is, of course. By scratching behind Sumerki's ear, he has proven that he is capable of scratching behind ears, and her own could use a scratch, now couldn't they?

Shortly after will follow the sound of rustling skirts, and hurried footsteps: a young woman comes into sight, her gaze casting across the ground. She must be the owner of the missing kitten, for the color of the kitten's ribbon (dark green) matches the trim on her dress and the edging of her gloves. She is not an unattractive young woman, wearing an imitation of the latest fashion; if it is not from the best dress-makers, it looks very well as if it could be. The warm chocolate brown of the dress looks good on her, especially when her hurrying has caused her cheeks to flush.

When her gaze falls upon the kitten, her face glows with a joy that makes her twice as pretty; she claps her hands together and comes fearlessly forward, stopping just in front of Alexei. "Oh," she breathes, "you've found my darling! How wonderful!"  

[Nyx Argyros]

It was true that Sumerki had her eyes closed in bliss, but the kitten was not so quiet as a full-grown feline might be, especially with a rustling ribbon trailing through the grass behind her. Bright blue eyes cracked open to assess the situation only to see the white ball of fluff already close to her Chosen. The Guardian snorted in displeasure at this interruption, though she doubted that the little thing was a threat.

Surprised that his doe had willingly pulled away from him, Alexei looked around to see what could have been the cause. He blinked when he saw the little kitten sniffing his book.

"Where did you come from?"

Before any suppositions could be made, the young woman appeared and boldly marched up to him. He was not certain what to make of her, but then she spoke. Ah. Her kitten, then. He glanced between the lady and the kitten.

"I would say that she found me," he replied.  

[LoveByLetters]

The doe's snort causes the kitten to back up from her, puffing its fur out in an attempt to intimidate: the fact that this may not be possible does not seem to deter the tiny little thing. As it backs up, the unfamiliar woman sweeps forward, scooping it up (much to the kitten's dismay) and pressing it against her corseted chest. Although the kitten's tail starts to twitch, this must be a familiar entrapment, for it gives a great big sigh and hangs limply from her gloved hands.

"So she did! Well, I am grateful all the same that she stopped to see you, for I mightn't have caught her otherwise." The words, like her warm smile, seem perfectly sincere, though she trails off towards the end -- for her eyes have caught on Sumerki and gone quite wide.

"Oh, my! I don't think I have ever seen anything so lovely!" Pressing the kitten to her chest, she leans down to wiggle her fingers enticingly at the little doe, more than a hint of longing in her green eyes. "Good day to you, you precious little thing."  

[Nyx Argyros]

"I suppose so..." he said, though it sounded more like a polite deferral than true agreement.

A little baffled by her liveliness and apparently short attention span, Alexei was not entirely sure what to make of this young woman. She wore the clothes of a lady, but had the energy of a child. Would it be terribly impolite to flee? He winced inwardly. His aunt would have his head if she knew such a thought had crossed his mind, and Anna would never let him live it down. Neither would Sumerki, for that matter. Resigned, he watched her attempts to win over his guardian.

Pleased at being called lovely, but uncertain of being called a precious little thing, Sumerki's eyes swiveled back and forward again in indecision. As a lady herself, the doe considered compliments and praise her due, but would it be undignified to be treated like a pet? The little kitten certainly did not seem to enjoy the girl's attention.

Sumerki stretched her neck forward and sniffed delicately at the wriggling fingers.

"Her name is Sumerki," added Alexei.  

[LoveByLetters]

Rosemaire knows precisely what to make of Alexei -- though she would never be so crass as to say it. From what she can tell he is roughly her age, he's obviously quite handsome, he's monied enough to own an exotic pet and have tutors (why else would he be reading at mid-day?), and there's a touch of something deliciously foreign about him. If he isn't exactly what she'd prefer for husband-fodder, he'd make a wonderful treat. Everything about him is just scrumptious! How could she help herself? Letting the kitten scamper up to him didn't exactly go as planned, but she's still talking to him, so that's something, isn't it?

She beams at Sumerki, seeming to feel that she has won something simply by having the doe sniff at her fingertips (Marie smells of flowers -- not perfume, but scented soap). "How darling! May I pet your head, precious girl? I warn you, if you feel half as soft as you look, I might never stop." Her tone is gently teasing, and she smiles past Sumerki at Alexei, toning down her brightness by a notch as if she's noticed his discomfort. "I can't imagine how you get anything done with her about; I wouldn't be able to look at anything but her."  

[Nyx Argyros]

If he had any idea what was going through the deceptively innocent female's mind, Alexei would have forgotten all about manners and pride and fled as fast as his feet could take him - and with her wearing those skirts, he was certain he could outrun her. However, completely oblivious to the machinations of the female mind, he simply sat there and tried to look polite.

Saving her chosen the trouble of interpreting her answer, the doe stepped forward and nudged the pleasant-smelling hand - lured, perhaps, by promises of much petting. She would never tolerate any ill-intentions toward her charge, but while she was determining the level of threat or lack thereof that this human posed toward her own, Sumerki might as well take advantage of a willing hand.

When he saw how easily his guardian was won over, Alexei resigned himself to a potentially lengthy encounter. Obviously, it was not his fate to read the rest of the afternoon away. He does, however, relax slightly as she seems to calm down.

"She is certainly difficult to ignore," he observed wryly, though his words mean something entirely different than hers as his thoughts return to Sumerki's latest call for attention - the potential destruction of his book.

"But it seems you have a handful yourself," he nodded slightly at the kitten who was still firmly in her grasp. "Does she often run off?"  

[LoveByLetters]

The trouble is -- as Alexei will eventually learn -- that Marie very much embodies the old saying comparing careless lovers to shadows. Follow a shadow, it still flies you; seem to fly, it will pursue. The faster he runs, the more determined she'll become to follow ..

Sliding her hand over the top of Sumerki's head, Marie's eyes widen with honest delight at her softness, an expression that makes her look even younger, caught up in wonder. Gently she strokes the doe's soft head, and rubs behind her even softer ears, for a moment lost in the pure bliss of the simple action, forgetting even her oh-so-important task of charming Alexei. Thoroughly charmed herself by Sumerki, it takes her a moment to answer the Guardian's companion. "Hmm ..? Oh!"

The mention of the kitten causes her to finally release it, spilling the little fluff ball into her lap, though this time she keeps careful hold of the end of its ribbon. "Only in the park, really. She likes it very much here, you see. There are flowers to chew on and bees to chase, and I am right glad that she is still to young to catch them! I do not know what I should do if she did."  

[Nyx Argyros]

The doe's eyes turned half-lidded as Marie massaged the delicate muscles behind her ears. Now this was how she deserved to be treated. She unconsciously followed the human's hand as she let go of the kitten before she seemed to realize what she was doing and jerked her head back, composing herself into the very picture of demure femininity.

Ignoring his guardian's antics, Alexei's thoughts turned to Anna's grimalkin. All felines shared certain instincts, among which was the urge to hunt.

"If she is like most kittens, then you will not need to worry about bees for very long," he observed, then perhaps insensitively went on to say, "She will grow into rodents and birds."  

[LoveByLetters]

Marie is absolutely charmed by the sweet little doe and her determination to remain elegant: it is all she can do to suppress a girlish squeal. Swallowing the urge, she crooks her fingers to try and coax Sumerki back with more scratches, even more determined now to win her over. "Oh, what a little lady!" She murmurs, pleased; it takes her a moment again to pull her attention back to the day's actual quarry. Alexei's words make her go just a little pale, putting her free hand to her heart as if she must hold it inside of her chest in shock. "Oh! I sorely hope not. If it comes to that, I shall keep her always indoors, and entrance her with ribbons instead."  

[Nyx Argyros]

Sumerki eyes the delicate little hand, but refrains from succumbing to temptation. Instead, she settles herself by Alexei's side, her nose near his shoulder and her eyes on the lady. She sends a sharp reprimand to her chosen, reminding him to take care what he says in the presence of a lady - or in this case, two ladies.

Barely containing a wince at the mental assault, Alexei glanced at his doe, then looked back at the lady. He gave as good a bow as he could manage from his seated position - the kitten who had crawled into his lap made it difficult to stand - and addressed her.

"Please forgive my poor manners. I am Alexei Petrov and I can only beg your forgiveness if my words have upset you. Of course, your kitten will grow up into a fine lady far too refined to hunt," he straightened and continued. "Might I have the honor of your name?"  

[LoveByLetters]

She is not certain what to say to that, though it is a 'proper' apology, in the proper form -- but it also sounds just the teeniest bit off. For one thing, it is unexpected, following a brief pause that might have been filled with someone's voice. It was as if someone grabbed his ear, hissed a warning, and he is now obediently obeying the warning rather than instantly realizing (himself) that he misspoke. Nonetheless, he is handsome, so she can forgive him this and a great deal more.

"Oh, it's nothing! Of course I forgive you." She blushes precisely on cue, tilting her head at what she knows is the perfect angle to blink languidly up at him, gazing through her long lashes: most men don't know enough to see how calculating such a glance can be. "I'm Rosemarie Tumbriel, Sir Petrov. I'm so glad to have met you! What were you doing in the gardens? Simply taking a bit of sun with your lady?" She gestures daintily to Sumerki, with another little smile for the young doe, afterward lifting her head to look on Alexei more naturally, with what seems to be avid curiosity.  

[Nyx Argyros]

Completely oblivious to the lady's machinations, he offered her a polite smile. "The pleasure is all mine, Lady Tumbriel." He glanced ruefully at his book. "I have some reading I was hoping to finish today, but I could hardly leave Sumerki on her own, so a compromise was struck." Since fate seemed to have determined that he have this conversation rather than read, he offered the polite response. "And yourself? What brings you to the gardens today?"

As a lady herself, Sumerki is considerably more suspicious of Rosemarie's motivation. Although many physical signals differ between deer and humans, there are some things that are unmistakable. Besides, in the nearly two years that they had been together, the doe had picked up on many human mannerisms. Thus, despite how good the lady was at petting, the doe was determined that she would keep a close watch on her.  

[LoveByLetters]

Sumerki is probably wise to do so: Marie, though she may not look it, is an old hand in this game -- and if there is anyone who stands a chance of either stopping her or merely distracting her, it is Sumerki. Jaded she may be, there is still in Marie enough of a little girl in love with adorable things that Sumerki and her graceful beauty holds no small amount of power over her. Her eyes stray to the lovely doe now and again, sighing in pleasure. An adorable doe and a handsome man on a beautiful day? The only thing this day is missing is a new dress and some strawberries!

"I must confess to a bit of loneliness, I suppose; my lovely Silverbell is grand company but she cannot converse: the only discourse she is like to hold is a demand to be petted, or an attempted destruction of the hems of my dress." She smiles to share the joke with him, delicately breezing past the implication (intended or not) that Alexei would rather be reading. No sense in acknowledging it, really; she's no intention of leaving him be until she can get some kind of agreement out of him to meet her another time. "What is it that you read?"  

[Nyx Argyros]

Alexei glanced at Sumerki. Sometimes, he almost wished that she could not converse. Oh, she might not use words, but she could certainly make her thoughts known under no uncertain terms, and what did he get out of it? Nothing. She still threatened the welfare of his books and demanded to be petted.

Then Marie asked her question and Alexei brightened. Although her chosen was oblivious to the effect he was about to have, Sumerki knew that it was a near-certainty the lady would regret that innocent little question.

Like any scholar, once Alexei started in on one of his books, he was nearly impossible to stop. He would speak of the topic and then of the author's perspective, then he would go on to contrast that perspective with other authors, from eyewitness accounts to contemporary writings to ideas conceived centuries later. From there, he could go on to expound upon what noted scholars had to say about certain authors and what the current stances were.

"It is an account of the Garstraud War written by Edward Langley," he began and launched into an explanation.