Two in another Corner

[Ingrid]

The club was minimalist.

Brick walls; solid, unadorned, floor; rather ugly aesthetic. The only expenses had been laid out on the stage and the sound system. This was a club for those interested in the music, not simply being seen. There was alcohol but the vibe and the peer pressure kept down the drinking; this was not a place to fight. The bar's developing clientele knew this.

Ingrid returns but unlike the previous time, she has chosen a quiet night. There is no band tonight, not even a solo artist. Music was pumped in from speakers, kept to an intentionally low level. No crowd, either. In fact the club was positively dead - Ingrid could not have worked things better.

The Darkling finds a table at the back of the club, near the exits and rest room. It is an unobtrusive spot and out of the way. The Vernal Sovereign picked up a thread of anxiety from this newcomer.

Ingrid takes a seat and settles in with a good book. Shadows pool thickly about her.
Titania Vincent

[Titania]

68 minutes, 15 seconds and 5 tenths, it's the time it took her to freshen up, slip out of her trenchcoat and into a comfortable but elegant floral print dress with matching creamy heels and white jacket, stop by the local Godiva shop - there was an antiquities shop on the way, it would certainly be worth the earmark - and finally reach her destination, all courtesy of the Sacramento light rail system.
Neptune had just risen when the workers left, Saturn had barely reached its meridian right now.


Yes, streetcars were great, fast, discrete, and above everything else, almost empty past a certain hour, nobody had objected to her wearing a scarf over her head either. Well, the clerk at the Godiva shop had raised an eyebrow, but as it was, it was more due to her request of a pink floral box wrap than for anything else.
Amusing, rather. Well, as she drew her purse from her clutch bag and squarely laid a banknote on the counter, she wondered that the bewilderment could be a function of Sir. Adam Smith's scholarly look. Yes, there were places that Her Majesty the Queen couldn't reach, this Belgian shop was one of them, what a Bind!
And 5 minutes for a checkout, downright rude.



The club was small, nothing even remotely posh, but the impression she drew was one of treehouse comfort. From the speakers a barely audible tune flew harmlessly, accompanying and not imposing itself upon the chit-chatters. The Fairest tigthened the box of chocolates against her chest, took a deep breath and tentatively stepped inside. At a perfunctory glance, it appeared that only a single patron of note - she wasn't being rude - was attending the quiet evening, and given what he saw, the Lady was unlikely to be unphased by her eyes only impromptu burlesque, but given what he saw, "Gosh!", what a ravishing sight!

[Ingrid]

And Ingrid, Vernal Sovereign of the Emerald Court, is staring with her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide. Her mantle erupts around her in a profusion of aromatic plum as if trying to ward off the beauty of the approaching Fairest. Even the shadows that attended upon her stopped their quiescent motions when Titania made her appearance.

"Ehm. Yeah. Hi. Wanna drink?"

Somehow, the Darkling managed to squeeze the words from her mouth.

[Titania]

The explosion of aromas and hormones caught her unaware, there was something to the Darkling's beauty that she couldn't put her finger on. Nevertheless, the more she closed in - still clutching the chocolate box like a small child would do with her teddy bear - the more she felt drawn towards the stranger, like a moth to a flame.
Fortunately, she succedeed in the Herculean feat of not tripping over her own feet, otherwise, mesmerized as she were by the lure of the shadows dancing around the pale beauty, her face would have certainly acquainted herself with the floor.

Her mantle, however, was of a different opinion, resonating with the stranger's, the stars in her hair seemed to shine brighter, twisting the small wisps of light surrounding her into a furious swirl, the smell of roses would soon follow. They were, the lithe Stranger and herself like birds of a flock, singing the same tune.

"G...g...greetings Ma'am, I believe we have spoken earlier today", she bent in a small courtesy, lifting one side of her dress.
Around this time, a delicious blush crept across her cheeks. She tried to look around, keeping the urbane beauty unaware of her flush, yet, her scarf came off,
smothering the poor attempt at deception in its crib.


"A...amazing place, thank you for having me", she said, laying the chocolate box on the table, "for intruding on your schedule".

She stood there, tableside, waiting for her gracious host to invite her to sit down. "A lemonade? No, a juice?", she added. Was it a question or a statement? She had to admit, ordering a lemonade at a club felt out of place, experienced as she were, no doubt the Darkling would think she was having a country bumpkin for dinner.

"I'm Eleanor, Titania among our circles. But Eleanor is great", she smiled uncomfortably, her arms crossed over her chest, an etiquette breach. "Delighted to make your acquaintance", for a short second, she had lost track of her time. No doubt Mars had just crossed Venus.

[Saber Sloth]

Posts from the 2018 Rollback!

"Lemonade it is then," Ingrid replied more slowly than normal.

She nodded for Titania to sit and waited for her to settle.

"Yes. Ahm. We spoke earlier. So. I'm Ingrid. Club President, as it were. Director is what I'm called around here - because my names on the paperwork that makes the fiction that we're a trust fund. Thingie. Anyway. I'm President and... uh... Queen of the Spring Cleaning!"

Somehow her attempt at levity did not come off. Damn this was hard.

"And its good to make your acquaintance.... ah... Eleanor. Good name that. Eleanor. Nell? Nora? Elle? Ah... Anyway. I am sure you have many questions."

"Ah. The Club follows a standard yearly pattern - we follow the seasons, so expect some big parties when one season changes into another. As you would expect. The Club has a president, a notary and a groundskeeper - positions which run, I don't know... Parallel to the seasonal fun. More permanent. President as you'd expect looks after the admin; the notary takes care of the... ah... legals. Groundskeeper keeps things prim, tidy, and secure."

"We have some agreements with Funderland, a little theme park near South Sacramento, close to the zoo. Yeah, we use it for our gatherings and such. But its not like we're developing our own space... elsewhere. You know what I mean."

Ingrid stopped. Then exclaimed happily as their drinks arrived.

"Thank you!", she flashed an innocuous smile.

She stepped as closely as she could to the the table and then, sliding one foot back, she lowered herself gracefully into the seat, slightly sideways. She stood tall, with her head above her shoulders and her ankles angled to the left, sitting in a lady-like fashion. In her lap, her hands betrayed a certain restlessness, tugging as they were at her dress.
She was torn between star...looking at the stranger and trying to dissimulate her blush by focusing on the background, Ingrid won.


"Oh", her right hand covered her slightly agape mouth, "Your Highness, please forgive my manners", the Stran...Ingrid must have been a very busy person, and yet she was giving her audience.

"Norah will do, your Highness", a punk elemental in London had called her with the diminutive for Titania. Needless to say, she had been embarassed by the epithet.

"It's a very busy schedule, please let me know if I can help in any way. I might not be strong, but I'm a capable doctor and gardener", Ingrid's poise was overwhelming, she figured her busy schedule prompted her to keep the meeting short and dense. Meanwhile, she was unemployed, her mood suddenly darkened, her bank account neared zero. She shuddered.
But they had a theme park, she had never been to one. The parties, now those parties were a sore spot, but they had a theme park!

"Ah! I manage. Somehow. I have an assistant bound to me now, so he has been a treasure."

She paused to take sip of her drink.

"Doctor? We could do with one of those, I think. I mean, I know a few healing Arts... Not sure how that knowledge sits with the others."

She paused to stare reflect upon the Fairest before her.

"So. Gardner and doctor. Are they, like, professions are more like interests. What does interest you by the way?"

Assistants, did she have maids?
She welcomed the drinks with a soft smile, the sugary drink would cool her head a little.

"Oh no, a Doctor? I'm afraid it's a misunderstanding. My lack of credentials bar me from that. I'm really not the best person to handle that kind of pressure", she paused, a bit embarassed for the misunderstanding.

"I'm a self-taught neuroscientist, some of my work is currently under the scrutiny of peer review", her fingers began fidgeting in her lap, "I'm well versed in Herbal Drug Development, both the mundane and the occult. My knowledge of the bountiful harvest of the Garden is quite deep", she was somewhat proud or her achievements, now if only she could get those credentials, she could turn that into a profession of some sort. Going from rich heiress to chronical unemployed, the last years had ben tough.

"So, my treatments can be quite effective without being invasive, unlike more mundane practices", she beamed, a perfectly manicured index was now tracing the side of her glass.

"Self taught nauro-scientist?" Ingrid's mouth firmed slightly.

"Gardner. OK. Yes! The garden's have been left to grow wild around our club. So... Your help will be most welcome."

She hid behind her glass.

"Extended the club out into the gardens is a project we are slowly moving towards so I"m sure you'll fit right in. There will be plenty of people willing to bring you up to speed and get you involved. Just ask around."

"Garden Grounds is a good place to show your face. You'll be among friends there. If your tastes run to jazz seek out the Blue Note. Just be aware the reception can be a little frosty at first."

"Y...yes!", she replied enthusiastic, "I can't perform open skull surgeries or anything like that", and she wouldn't want it either, her interests were more academic in nature, "But I've read medicine before the war, how unfortunate that I had to interrupt my studies", there was a speck of melancholy there.

Secret Garden parties, she might not have been the most adventurous lady around but she wanted to leave a good first impression, would parasols be involved? "Marvellous, I'll have to meet the other residents before I attend the excursion. Without a shadow of a doubt it'll be an occasion to collect plenty of useful samples".


Her eyes lingered on Ingrid a little longer than they should have, mesmerized by the moving tendrils of soft shadow, it was so different from her own mien. "You've been so gracious your Highness, I want to extend my courtesy back", her neck jerked to the side embarassed, "M-may I help you with some fairy remedies of mine? I don't want to sound impudent, but it will help relieve some of the stress. Not that you would look stressed or tired or anything. Yo--- you're gorgeous, oops", she blurted out, realizing what she had just said a second later. Her hand had covered her mouth, but Ingrid could see the burning on her cheeks warm up again.

Ingrid had taken to hiding behind her drink again. Especially as Titania continued and more hints about her past fell out. After a lengthy pause, the Vernal Sovereign continued:

"Well... Ha! OK. Well, look at you! Ah. Oh yeah. Look, if you want to practice your healing arts they will be a welcome addition to the club. Just put up a sign in the usual places and go from there. And I'm sure there will be volunteers to show you around our garden."

She looked across the table, blinked, coughed, and looked away.

"How are you for living arrangements? All good? We can look into that if you need help."

She looked back, a smile crawling up her face.

"Now. Was there anything else?"

[Saber Sloth]

More posts from the 2018 Rollback!

"Thank you for your concern! I've found an accommodation already, a small apartment in the Midtown district", she chirped.

Her mood darkened all of a sudden. "However, my search for a suitable occupation has ecountered a few setbacks". She paused pensive.

"I...I think it should be all. Thank you. I've intruded far too much already", she was hesitant, as a newcomer, she had received more than her fair share of courtesy.

Ingrid was still valiantly hiding behind her glass. Wrestling with it, in fact, as she tried to draw the last dregs up through the straw.

"Of course! You know where to find us. I'll know where to find you if I have to..." The Vernal Sovereign smiled back.

"...And keep an eye out for the signs. The next big party is coming up!"

And with that, Ingrid trembled on the inside as she wound the conversation to a close. A gorgeous Fairest! What need did the Freehold have for a Darkling when they had a gorgeous Fairest who had the healing arts!

Envy, thy name is Ingrid.

[Ingrid]

And with that, Titania Vincent is Acknowledged