[PRP] A Less than Leisurely Stroll (Marie & Petrovs)

[Nyx Argyros]

The late spring air was balmy, the sun brilliant and warm above Anna's parasol as she and her brother strolled through the gardens. The sweet fragrance of flowers soothed her senses and a light smile graced her features as the occasional petal drifted down from the surrounding apple trees. Aranka flitted from branch to branch and Sumerki minced daintily ahead of them. It was, in all respects, a very lovely morning.

Or rather, it would have been had there not also been another pair of individuals accompanying them.

Aramis, though precocious, was welcome company. It was his mistress that was the problem. Despite the fact that she and her brother had seen much more of the other noblewoman of late, Anna was still not entirely certain what to make of her company. Oh, like any lady of status, she had quickly adapted to Marie's presence, but Anna was still leery of her. Or rather, she wondered just how long it would be before she decided to start pursuing Alexei again. After all, just because Marie had been distracted by her new Guardian, it did not mean that she would not return to her usual self after she had adjusted.

The hedge witch supposed that she would simply have to wait and see. Until then, they would simply have to continue their idle banter.  

[LoveByLetters]

Something of Marie's old self has certainly returned, for she has taken great care with her appearance today; her hair had already been full of little flowers on her arrival, their lightness of color perhaps specifically chosen to bring out the warm brown in her hair and the vividness of her green eyes. Like Anna she is in a good mood, made especially hopeful by the welcoming sun and the gentle perfumes brought to their senses by each playful swirl of the breeze. She walks lightly, smiling indulgently at the fawn that capers alongside them, bouncing this way and that to investigate everything in their path.

Also like Anna, she is .. wary. She has not yet given up on her fight; instead it seems best to take things very slowly indeed. With the arrival of little Aramis, some quiet instinct (until now more easily ignored) seemed to whisper to her that she ought not pursue Alexei to the point of making enemies of both of the pair, that it would be better to befriend both .. even if that should mean she cannot have Alexei herself. Why she should find herself thinking this way she is not entirely sure, but even in daylight she cannot wholly shake the uneasy thought that she might, at some time in the not-so-distant future, actually need a friend.

"Oh," she sighs with pleasure, twirling her own parasol above her and ignoring the fact that Aramis has stuck his head into a bush full of flowers and come out dusted yellow, "it is so wonderful to see the spring! I had not thought it would ever come."  

[Nyx Argyros]

"Has the winter been so long?" Alexei wondered. He honestly could not say.

"Do forgive my brother," Anna said. "He has no sense of time when he buries himself in his books and scrolls."

"Does it matter?" he wondered, only paying half a mind to his sister's comment. To him, one season was as good as the next. He never really understood what all the fuss was about when people complained about harsh weather or ran joyfully about because of fair weather. He would much rather be inside with his research no matter the weather. Of course, Sumerki would not let him get away with that as much as he might like, but still. Why such bother over sun and snow?

"I declare that you would not notice if the sky stopped in its tracks and the seasons never changed," she sighed. "There is something to be said for variety, Alexei." Even though Anna adored winter, she was still glad to be able to enjoy the balmy Sunderland spring without fear of frostbite.  

[LoveByLetters]

"Of course he is forgiven," returns Marie, finding herself amused enough by the banter between the two that she is not nearly as annoyed as she ought to be. "It is good for a man to have something about which to be passionate." Her tone is just a touch indulgent, for all that it bespeaks other things -- that it is good for a man to have passions that do not hurt others, unlike the men who drink or fight or beat their wives.

Across the way, Aramis makes a startled sound as he blunders into another bush and comes bolting back out again, his little legs a blur and his thoughts full of an unusual panic. Marie looks up, expecting to reassure her Guardian about a large flower, a squirrel, or perhaps a bumblebee .. but her steps falter, her parasol wavers, and her lips form into a frozen 'oh' of confusion and surprise.

There is a man, a dirty, wretched looking man, who it seems has not bathed for over a moon, if indeed he has ever been introduced to clean water in all his life. His clothing is stained and torn, he has not shaved in some time, and his bloodshot eyes have fixed themselves on the little trio with an animal madness that Marie has never in her life seen, a look that frightens her to the core. She cannot seem to move as he comes towards them, a low growl rising in his throat, an ugly sound that seems to tear away the gentle beauty of the summer day around them.

" .. don't deserve them!" There is an axe in his hands, and as he comes closer to them he raises it, as if he means to chop the three of them into bits and pieces right here and right now in this lovely place. " .. not .. Wardens! You don't .. deserve .."  

[Nyx Argyros]

It was a tossup between Aranka and Sumerki as to who among the Petrovs noticed the man first. Whichever it was, both ladies' hackles rose. The rook ruffled her feathers, cawing loudly in warning, while the doe moved closer to her chosen.

Alexei blinked at the man in confusion. He was clearly out of sorts and even to the scholar's eyes, he looked out of place in the otherwise picturesque garden. Sumerki was always temperamental, so he did not take that as any real indication of the stranger's intent. Still, he felt a little uneasy. This was why he hated to deal with the world. You never knew who you would run into.

Anna was perhaps more startled than even Marie at the appearance of the stranger. Danger was a foreign concept to her. Never in her life had she been threatened, and this man was clearly deranged. Still, she clenched her fan and stiffened her spine, determined not to show any weakness.