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| Details |
| Author: | Athena |
| Summary: | Lena meets with Avrenne to discuss her impressions of those Lena met at the Aspenwood-Moore wedding, as well as her feelings about the Kul Tiran Tidemother faith, and to plan for future social engagements in the hopes of securing a, well, engagement. 4800~ words. |
| Rating: | T for Teen |
The Little Parlor sitting room on the first floor of Fallon House is a lovingly decorated blue and silver space, couches and chairs arranged at neat angles. The room suits the Lady Fallon, or perhaps she suits it, dressed in her preferred house dress finery. These, Lena has likely noticed, are not as elaborate as her company dresses, let alone her special events dresses. No, left to her own devices at home, Avrenne favors simple cuts, and simple (if expensive and high quality) fabrics. This one, a teal satin silk, the bust line high and left to drape in smooth lines down that hides her still lingering softer stomach, is a favorite of hers.
Set out on the table is an arrangement of bright pink hibiscus, and a tea set of gladiolus, with the tea set aside not yet in the pot. There are small jam cookies and leftover cake from the anniversary last night. Avrenne has already portioned her own out. It's larger than might be expected by the Lady Fallon, but she seems to have been eating more lately.
Lena Coit arrives at the door right on time, pausing in the doorway to wait for an invitation before entering. Lena's everyday dresses are also quite different from her formal dresses, and this one is a rose-pink sleeveless one, gathered below the bust and falling in loose pleats to mid-calf. The fabric is a simple, though not expensive, linen, and the cut suits her.
"Lady Fallon?" Lena greets her in a quiet, polite voice.
Avrenne rises with that practiced elegance, like she learned how to do it under someone's extremely watchful and critical eye. "Miss Coit. Please, come in. Tea?" She gestures to the seating options. For herself, she's taken the left side of the high backed love seat that faces the door. There's both room on hers, and the entire other couch across from the fireplace.
"I would be delighted," Lena says, considering the available seating. There's a moment of indecision, as if the choice of seat itself is a test or a statement of perceived distance. Then she walks calmly past the couch facing the fireplace, and carefully takes a seat by the Duchess's side. It would not have been an option were it not allowed, after all. "I hope your day is passing well?"
Avrenne retakes her seat, smoothing her dress to fall in correct folds to sit as Lena does. At Lena's question, Avrenne looks up, her gaze going along a direct line between the parlor and Siamus' office, as if she can either see him through the walls, or it's simply where she knows he likely is. "Oh, yes," she says, and there's a touch of a sweet smile to her face before she smooths her expression out the same way she arranged her dress.
She leans forward and touches the teapot; Lena can feel the rise of the arcane, a very precise touch of power, only just enough as would be needed to heat the water up to the proper degree from a room temperature state. It's fast, and there's barely a flicker of something at Avrenne's lashes, nearly imperceptible, as she releases the teapot and sets the tea inside to steep.
"I had hoped to get your impressions of the wedding guests you met, to ask if there was anyone in particular who caught your interest whose company you feel might improve upon greater acquaintance," Avrenne says as she sits back, her hands folded over each other in her lap, as she regards Lena.
"Oh, well… I suppose a conversation at a wedding may not be the easiest place to make such judgments, but let me think…" Lena places one hand over the other in her lap, tapping her wrist. "Should I perhaps just consider each person, in the order I met them? I suppose my first conversation of significance was with the Ladies Merelda, Sintha and Alaisa, and Lord Arric."
There's again a flick of Avrenne's eyes up at that line to Siamus, and then back to Lena. Her expression has that habitual composure, but it's not cold, just reserved. "By all means." She's Listening, Lena.
"Ladies Sintha and Alaisa I should include for completeness, but of course I knew them both already," Lena says, turning slightly towards Lady Fallon as she addresses her. "In any case, I am certain neither have any potential romantic interest in me, so we need not consider them further. As for Lady Merelda, I believe Sintha had some matchmaking notions of her own, so I would not attempt to derail whatever she had in mind. Then there's Lord Arric, and I… I think I may have handled that rather clumsily, though I do think he is still a potential friend."
Avrenne considers the information carefully, without rush, but quickly as well, held up against an internal ledger. "You think Sintha introduced Lady Merelda to Lady Alwnneria for matchmaking?" It's not entirely a full question, more of a rhetorical confirmation. "Mm." She'll put a pin in that for later. She can ask Siamus about it as well. She knows he was there. "As for Lord Arric, not every man is interested in refined and polished interactions, some prefer a touch of clumsy handling, for the sense of being genuine, and he strikes me as an agreeable sort of man not entirely put off by one or the other. Still, that is not really what matters in this case. Did you find him interesting, beyond another friend in Society? That is not to say his friendship is not in itself a worthwhile goal, only a possible direction."
"Do I…" Lena falters a little. "My interest or lack of it is unimportant if he's no interest in me. I… suppose we had things in common. He likes horseback riding. He was pleasant to talk to."
"Those are generally good things, if both suit. But you might consider that for some men, their interest is only piqued in another if one has an interest in them. Interest, of course, can always grow with time, but a lack of it from the start would suggest to not place emphasis on it into a pursuit." Avrenne leans forward once more to remove the tea from its steeping, and set the leaves aside, pouring it out into the two cups. There is both milk, sugar, and lemon wedges all available on the service, but Avrenne takes hers plain. She sits back with her tea cup, studying Lena again.
"Then I suppose he remains in consideration. Though, someone like Lord Arric may also prefer a woman who brings a family name or political connections," Lena says, tilting her head in thought. "He is a little isolated here, being from Kul Tiras, and I'd imagine he'll want a match for himself to establish his place in society."
"There's more than one way to accomplish such a goal. A man looking to broaden his ties might not always be best served by a family name, or political position. You are not unconnected yourself, and you hold a growing measure of political power in the WEB, that allows you to rub elbows with more than a few significant players of the game. Don't discredit yourself, Miss Coit. You belong here as much as any other player, and there are a number of ways to strike the points to win." Avrenne sips her tea. "Lord Arric is however still a limited source of connections himself, at least here, for now. What of Lady Kenelly? She might not have the local connections, but she does seem to know Gilnean Society."
"You were there for most of my words with her, I think, so you know as much as I do," Lena says, with a nod to acknowledge her previous statements. "I certainly expect I will see more of her, especially if she and Lord Tyrrell work together on their worgen and warlock venture. I've no idea yet if she's interested in women, though, and I… I don't know if I'm interested in worgen that way. They seem perfectly good people, I just… don't think I really know enough of them yet."
Avrenne huffs out a sound of something like a laugh, and raises both brows as she leans back more onto the loveseat. "I do understand your reticence, as we spoke before of the desire to not need to add to your own focus of your control with another's possible struggle. I…had not thought that I knew so many worgen, myself." She directs a wry look at Lena. "I had no idea that the Captain had been afflicted until that very conversation, caught completely unaware. You know, I wrote to him about the wedding and his cousin, and he said nothing of it, not a single word, not a hint. I'm not surprised, just…" She makes a vague, circular gesture in the air with one hand. Just Zathed.
Lena gives a brief sound that is definitely a laugh, and she says, "To be honest, I'm glad it's not just me he's intent on confounding. When he was… my teacher, of course, it made sense. The teacher I'd had before him was really strict on making sure his personal and business lives were very separate, so it seemed usual. But then after, when I'd thought - well, it doesn't matter what I'd thought - I think that's just how he is with everyone? Need-to-know basis on every part of his life? I don't reckon he could've kept the worgen thing secret for long, though."
Lena's mirth fades, and she looks at Avrenne more seriously. "And I don't hold it against him, or any of them. I know they're all individuals and none of the worgen at the wedding were in charge of Gilneas. But there's a lot of… history there. My history. Worgen were not people you have to tea, they were storybook monsters made real, rampaging in the forests. And Gilneas…" Lena doesn't finish that thought. "Of course, I don't judge people by stories, I just… don't know, when it comes to considering a partner."
Avrenne sips her tea. "We all have preferences, and they are what they are." She pauses, and lowers her teacup to her lap to hold it there. "I expect you know that I hold nothing but high regard and respect for anyone of Stormwind. I still had no intention, unless it was absolutely avoidable, to marry a man of Stormwind. I feared that if I did, my own House would be overlooked, obscured behind a more intact one, and that a man of Stormwind could not understand what it is like to hold two loyalties, and to feel such separation from one's heritage locked out of one's own country." She looks again up, through the walls, and smiles a lot more warmly than the Cold, Unfeeling Duchess really should.
"Siamus is the unique exception, the other side of another coin, shaped by his own circumstances. He is very much a man of Stormwind, a loyal man, who will hold to his vows with an absolute, admirable grip. But this House of Stormwind is new, and he is still also a son of Kul Tiras, cut off from his heritage to hold on his own. He understands me, and my own perspective, in ways that make it so that I never have to explain it all to him and hope he will see it. He just knows." She looks back at Lena. "You might find the same in someone else, someone who knows what it is to hold an understanding of where you are, what ties bind you and why. That person might be a worgen or a warlock, but if they are, it would be in a way that speaks to your mind to look at them and know they have seen the world from your eyes, not just to prove that you have no bias against them."
"It does sound like you and your husband are very well matched," Lena says with a faint smile. She glances up at the invisible spot, through the walls, that Avrenne seems drawn to, as she takes a sip of tea. She does not have a deep connection to the man or his room's location, though - she's just been watching Avrenne. "For me, I don't think I need someone who can see as if he's standing in my own mind. That would restrict the field a lot. But I certainly don't want anyone who feels they're interested in me in-spite-of, and I don't want to feel the same for anyone."
Lena draws in a breath. "I think that's mostly the list, though there's plenty I'm sure I missed. I suppose I also spoke with Halliday, but she's obviously married. And anyway, a longtime friend. I imagine my regard for her was obvious."
"Restricting the field to be specific is part of the process," Avrenne says. "A wider net might catch more, but it does not mean that you are catching what you should." She sips at her tea again, sets it down, and takes up a plate of food to begin taking small, ladylike bites of it. "There was no one in particular you spoke to who you felt as though you would very much like to continue speaking with them, whose camaraderie was effortless, and you would ask for more time with them if you had no concern of taking up more of it? Beyond your friendships as they stand, that is."
"Effortless camaraderie? No, I wouldn't say so," Lena shakes her head. "Like I told Shine, I thought I didn't do particularly well at being charming. But I suppose that wasn't the point. Was there anybody in particular you think I ought to have met that I didn't get a chance to?"
Avrenne's attention is more fully on Lena, her gaze direct. "It might serve you to meet a few others, but there was no pressing need for it to happen then and there," Avrenne says. There's no shift of her tone as she continues, "You spoke then to Shine? He did mention that you two had been conversing on his interest in Cobalt Company as a direction for employment outside of the House. He is an excellent listener, and has a discerning mind, whose insight into the matters of the nobility from a perspective of one not born into Society is well worth listening to, as he has had many years to observe the workings of it."
"Oh, yes. I suppose his background's not all that different from mine in some ways, except for he does have a lot more experience with the nobility, through your husband, Lord Fallon," Lena says, tacking on that last in a bit of a fumble in how to refer to Siamus. 'Your husband' sounds a little too informal, but she obviously also doesn't need to remind Avrenne who he is. "I ran into him when I got back from the wedding, as it happens. Went to see the family shrine." Lena tenses. "I hope that was alright? He said it'd be alright."
Avrenne's expression lightens, and she gives Lena a warmer smile. "Yes, of course it is all right. Shine has not only his position but his friendship with the House that gives him authority to speak on such, you may trust him entirely, Miss Coit. I hope the shrine was of a comfort to you as well. I find it very…" She pauses, searching for the words. "Well, difficult to describe, perhaps, in simple words. It is not exactly peaceful, but nor is it agitating. It is not intimidating, yet it is not entirely comfortable either. There's something of the in between there, a place of creation and destruction. Siamus once described the Tidemother as both the mother of the world and the storm that drowns it, and I feel that when I am there. I hold the Kul Tiran faith in great respect." From the way she speaks of it, she sounds a lot more like a full convert than just respectful, but the neutral wording may just be habitual. "Shine and Siamus are old friends, from their Proudmoore Academy days. Siamus have never been one to see the markings of social class as coming before the person."
"I don't know if comforting is exactly the right word," Lena says tilting her head in thought. "The way Fallon and Shine about it, the whole thing makes a lot of sense. Not a force you can persuade or bribe, just something that is, and keeps its own counsel. Like the world. There's only how things are, and what you make of it. I suppose I wasn't really looking for comfort? Just acknowledgment, maybe, or something like it. Belonging."
"And is belonging not a form of comfort?" Avrenne asks, semi-rhetorically. "I find the Tidemother and the Kul Tiran faith in the same vein as I found mathematics when I was a child, when I became aware not of the world, but of a way to describe it and quantify it. Math does not care about feelings, or thoughts; the numbers will not shift with persuasion or entreaties done through fanaticism. It's like an elemental force itself. It has no mercy. But, so too, does it have no cruelty. The Tidemother is Her own calculus, and her equations might be difficult to know or understand, but they simply are, and you can respect the math of it and know you are part of the formula. You belong within it. I find that, truly, comforting," Avrenne says. Come to her TED talk on how math should also be a religion (very popular with gnomes).
"I suppose," Lena says, clearly not a member of the math religion. "I didn't really go past arithmetic when I was a child, though now I'm pretty good with geometry. For the diagrams, you know. You can't have an angle off if you're plannin' on enslaving a demon or stepping through the Nether, after all."
Avrenne smiles and does a little nod. "Yes. Precision is a feature of the world, whether one knows it or can see the mathematical formula for it or not. It's a foundational principle. It exists, and it cannot be argued with, or believed hard enough to alter it." She eats more of the cake, allowing Lena a moment before she says, "We will be having some visitors soon. One of them is a Miss Jenzelle, a friend of Mr. Westwind's and Ralaea's. She seems young, but might be of something of an age with you and the Westwinds. I have invited her to come out riding."
"Jenzelle? Oh, yes, I know her," Lena nods. "She's a very kind woman, did a memorial service on behalf of somebody I care about. It'll be good to see her again."
"Excellent." Avrenne is already well on her way to finishing her plate. Whatever poor appetite Lena has seen from time to time is nowhere in sight now. "Is she in Cobalt Company? Or merely a part of the Church?"
"She's Cobalt as well," Lena confirms, taking another sip of her tea. "That was how I approached her, because I was looking for somebody in the Church who might be willing to help out a fellow mercenary. I know a bit about her history with Ralaea and Brendol, but I haven't really seen her around since I went up to Icecrown."
"I see," Avrenne says, and then she makes a little mm. "Perhaps then you might consider an outing together with the horses, and as he will have more free time, you could invite Shine along? With both Ralaea and Miss Jenzelle in the Company, and his application to it that I am certain will be accepted, it could serve him further to get to know others within it, through your connections."
"Oh, that would be a lovely idea," Lena says with a smile. "He was curious who I thought he ought to meet, and who to avoid. I'm certain he knows Rae well enough already, but Jenzelle would definitely fall in the former category. Does Shine enjoy riding?"
"He is Kul Tiran," Avrenne says, as if this is an explanation. "The only thing Kul Tirans enjoy as much as the sea are their horses." That feels like a stereotype, but in her defense, it's thus far been 100% of the Kul Tirans she's known. "You might consider making a day of it to visit Priscilla and Lord Bertrand at the Aspenwood Vineyard Estate. We are not so far from them for a day trip. I think Lady Cressidha has been remaining at the house there as well, if you are acquainted with her."
"Oh, yes," Lena nods. "She and I have worked together before, and I believe we get on well. Up in Quel'Danas, and then in Northrend, later. She's a very impressive frost mage." Lena pauses, holding her teacup, a moment of concern as she considers whether that sounds like a comparison. "That is, I've not spent really much time with her socially, but it would be a nice change."
Avrenne's eyes soften somewhat. "I think she would enjoy it. The Aspenwoods have a particular…reputation, as you are likely no doubt aware of, and a certain manner that leads many to believe that they are not interested in others. It cannot be further from the truth. We had Lady Cressidha for a visit last year to relax at the beach, after the unfortunate mishandling of the Undercity military action, and I think she enjoyed the time spent in some leisure. She is also, of course, a long time member not only of Cobalt, but like yourself one of the 'squads,' if I recall correctly."
Lena nods confirmation. "I never worked with her directly, but she's usually been in one of the teams. It might be they wanted to keep a little bit of magical expertise in both groups. And ability to get around, I suppose. There are strengths and weaknesses to both portals and summoning."
Avrenne's expression goes a little wry, and then it's smoothed out. "Mm." She reaches for her teacup, sipping at it. "Perhaps you might also consider if in expanding on the acquaintance if you find her interesting on a personal level." U know, Lena. Interesting. "The fel and the arcane are naturally opposed, but they also are mirrors of sorts, both with an understanding of control and the potential for corruption and over-reliance. Not at all on the same scale, of course, but there's something there to speak of an understanding of the other, which can be a good basis for any relationship, friendship or otherwise."
"Hm," Lena says, and goes for more tea sipping. She doesn't respond immediately. She may not have considered Cressidha in that light before. "I'll aim to keep an open mind. And it would be nice, I think, if we could be friends. Jenzelle will be arriving soon, then?"
"Yes, early July, before the weather grows unbearable," Avrenne says. It might already be unbearable for normal people who hiss at the angy sky bol when it makes temperatures over 80, but this is a matter of perspective. "For at least a week." She says at least because who knows if Jenzelle will actually leave again at all. "I realize your social calendar may come into conflict soon with your professional one, but we will have to simply adjust as we go. There will likely be more opportunity for you to circulate again in smaller capacities. Do you have a preference as of yet, to the larger gatherings or more one-on-one? There are, of course, pros and cons to each. A larger gathering means that if you find yourself wishing to be out of a conversation, there are many opportunities. But a smaller one does allow for a deeper conversation than the shallow waters briefer meetings afford."
"I expect you'd know before I do, when the fleet's going to deploy me and where," Lena says, with a faint smile. "But well, I think I prefer smaller groups? It's easy to get overlooked in a crowd, or to misjudge how to talk with a person. It'll be nice to see folk around Fallon House, while I'm here."
Avrenne makes a mm sound, a mental note ticked in some on going ledger. "Then we shall make sure that it happens while you are here, Miss Coit." How long Avrenne's gonna keep calling her that remains to be seen.
"I will look forward to it," Lena says, with a slight nod. "And I do hope you'll tell me, if you tire of the project. Though I am enjoying making the acquaintance of so many new people."
Avrenne looks briefly somewhat baffled, a flash of it on her expression, like Lena's used a foreign word or phrase Avrenne doesn't know and now must decode from context. What is tire of the project? Avrenne doesn't get tired. She gets results, and she just stays on doing it until that happens. "I am glad to hear it. As with most things, it is always a matter more of time, and opportunity, than anything else. I can assure you, Miss Coit, I do not tire easily. Making connections is part of what I do, and it is not a hardship at all to enfold you into the, well, if you'll pardon the wording, web of it."
Lena laughs lightly. "I suppose webs is something I've had an interest in for a while now. Then I suppose I'll also add that if there's ever anything I can to help the web on my side, please let me know. My knowledge of folk in Cobalt, for instance, or the warlocks, or others that might not often pass through your circles. I'd be happy to repay the kindness you've shown."
Avrenne gives Lena a small smile. "That is very good of you to say," she says graciously. "As it happens, I would ask you if you know of the well being of Miss Mullby? I have hoped to hear good news of her recovery of this past year." She has not, however, heard of her wedding to Jonas and her name change.
"Mayellen?" Lena asks, and the reason for the switch to first-name use becomes perhaps more clear when she adds, "She's Mrs. Hazan now, and doing pretty well. That is, turns out her injuries from the poison were more permanent than we'd hoped, but she's still on the Cobalt Eye team. Last I heard, they'd…" Lena pauses, maybe considering how to phrase it. "I suppose they did work dismantling some pirate operations in the south. And now they're over on Kalimdor."
There is something in Avrenne's eyes at the mention of pirates, something cold and dark and filled with rage, and then it's gone, blinked away so quickly it can cast some doubt on if it was there at all. "Oh, please convey my congratulations on her marriage to her," Avrenne says, not unkindly. "I am glad to know that she is doing well, and that Cobalt Eye has been successful in their important work. In Kalimdor, are they up north, near Darnassus?" Or south, near Theramore, goes the unspoken.
"More southwest?" Lena says with a faint frown. "There's something about Naga, organized, off the coast of Desolace." Not Theramore.
"Mm." Naga. Those guys. Avrenne only nods, a small, economical movement of acknowledgement. "I expect that there has been increased activity from some of the unrest," she says neutrally. She eats the last bite of cake from her plate, and sets it down, thinking. "Organized, though. Militarily or socially, do you know?"
"I expect that's what they're there to find out, but they might have some purpose," Lena shrugs, who can say, nagas. "It's since the cataclysm, at least, so it's something new. I expect we'll see in the newsletter before long."
"So we will," Avrenne says, the implication of the shared information set as an of course. "In the meantime, perhaps we might see about another organizing closer to home. Have you been to the Darkmoon Faire before, Miss Coit?"
"That group that sets up near Goldshire sometimes?" Lena asks curiously. "I've not. Is there some problem with them?"
"Not at all. I frequent it during the warmer months, and the summer in particular. It's an excellent way to meet with a few select friends and acquaintances, and have open entertainment that provides ample opportunity for easy conversation. Perhaps I might see who could accompany us that you would have an interest in speaking with, if you're amenable?"
"Oh, I'd be happy to," Lena smiles. "I've heard folk talk about it. The games and fortune tellers and stuff. I wouldn't have pegged it for something you'd have an interest in."
Avrenne pauses, and then there's a little more of the slip of the mask of the Duchess as she leans in a little conspiratorially to Lena, smiling. "I'll admit it's less to do with the games and the fortune tellers, and more to do with the fair food, for me. If I could eat my way through the entire faire, I would. They are living proof that one can deep fry anything if one sets one's mind to it, and has no safety standards for nutritional value."
Lena giggles. "That I have heard tell of. I would be delighted to try unsafe deep-fried food with you, Lady Fallon. Do you have particular others in mind who might be interested in the fair?"
"A few, but I shall see if they are available first," Avrenne says. "And if not, we might simply try the faire to see what the deep fried bait has caught in its net."